Match report as South Korea hold Germany to a 1-1 draw in Group H of the Women's World Cup; So-Hyun Cho scores early opener for Asian side before Alexandra Popp equalises with header just before half-time; Morocco's win over Colombia ensures both sides qualified for last 16
Thursday 3 August 2023 20:37, UK
Two-time winners Germany have crashed out of the Women's World Cup at the group stage for the first time after being held to a 1-1 draw with South Korea in Brisbane.
Germany, who won the Women's World Cup in 2003 and 2007 and are ranked second in the world, needed a win to be sure of progressing from Group H.
However, Morocco's 1-0 win over Colombia in the other Group H match sent both sides through to the last 16, with Germany unable to find a winner against South Korea.
A shock looked on the cards early on when So-Hyun Cho opened the scoring for South Korea after just six minutes as Germany's erratic defensive line played her onside.
Alexandra Popp equalised with a dominant header shortly before half-time but, after the forward saw a second goal disallowed for offside, South Korea held firm to claim their first point of the tournament and send Germany home.
Casey Phair, who became the Women's World Cup's youngest ever player earlier in the tournament, almost gave the Koreans the lead when the 16-year-old saw her second minute effort pushed onto the post by goalkeeper Merle Frohms.
Colin Bell's side only had to wait four more minutes to strike, however, when Young-Ju Lee's pass from deep split the German defence and the unmarked Cho calmly slotted her first-time shot into the bottom corner.
Germany were frustrated by the hard-pressing Koreans, but in the 42nd minute the former champions levelled as Popp out-jumped the defence to meet Svenja Huth's right wing cross and loop her header beyond Jung-Mi Kim.
Martina Voss-Tecklenburg's side threw everything forward after the interval, with Popp's 57th minute header ruled out on review by VAR as the striker strayed offside following a clever flick by Lea Schuller.
The German forward then rattled the crossbar two minutes later with another headed effort and Popp was again denied 16 minutes from time when her bullet-header flew straight into the hands of Kim.
Substitute Sydney Lohmann thumped a pair of efforts just off target deep into almost 16 minutes of added time, but Bell's side hung on for a point that sent the Germans out.
Both Germany and South Korea are heading home from the Women's World Cup. Group H's representatives in the last 16 will be Colombia - who take on Jamaica in Melbourne on Tuesday - and Morocco, who face France in Sydney on Monday.
With the group stages now over, the group winners and runners-up progress to the round of 16, which takes place from August 5 to August 8.
The quarter-finals, which will be held in Wellington, Auckland, Brisbane and Sydney, are scheduled for August 11 and 12.
The first semi-final will then be played on August 15 in Auckland, with the other semi-final taking place on August 16 at the Accor Stadium in Sydney, which will then host the final on August 20.
A third-place play-off will be played the day before the final on August 19 in Brisbane.
