8-1 Not An Ideal Win

S. Korea U-15 girls' coach laments conceding despite thrashing all teams; S'pore are 2nd

- Kimberly Kwek

South Korea capped off a dominant campaign at the Lion City Cup's inaugural girls' competition with an 8-1 win over Hong Kong on July 12; they scored their third straight victory at Jalan Besar Stadium to finish the tournament unbeaten.

Having already cruised past Singapore 9-0 and Cambodia 12-0 in earlier matches, the South Koreans were in control from the start.

Yet, despite the impressive scoreline in their final game, head coach Kim Eun-jung was not entirely satisfied with her team's performance, expressing disappointment at conceding a goal.

She said: "It was the last game and we did win but it was not the score that I wanted.

"I emphasised to the players that the loss of one goal is more painful than scoring many goals."

Her outlook on the match underlined the ambitions of the South Korean team, who were the only Under-15 side in the U-16 tournament.

Noting that the aim of the tournament was to give her players exposure, Kim experimented with various line-ups.

Hong Kong took a surprise lead in the 22nd minute when South Korea goalkeeper Ko Ha-eun misjudged a clearance, allowing Sophia Chua to score.