Football would not be what it is without fans turning up in their thousands at games to create an atmosphere, which in some cases can be so rarefied that it almost gives the teams they support an advantage over the opposition. There are occasions, however, when the mere presence of a large crowd has the opposite effect, causing players to freeze.
One such instance came on Monday, on day two of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Papua New Guinea 2016, when a crowd of 4,500 gathered at Port Moresby’s National Football Stadium to watch the Group D match between Mexico and Korea Republic. Many of the crowd were waving South Korean flags that had been handed out to them before the game, while a huge banner was also unfurled in the stands. And when the match got under way, the fans roared their support for the Asian side, all the way through to the final whistle.
Yet it was all to no avail, and as Korea Republic captain Hyeji Hong told FIFA.com afterwards, she and her team-mates were overcome by it all. “We’re not used to it,” she explained. “Not many people come to watch us in our country, and we couldn’t really hear each other on the pitch. That meant we weren’t very sure of ourselves and we couldn’t play the way we wanted to.”
As it turned out, the Taeguk Ladies failed to register a single shot on target in the whole match and were overrun time and again by the Mexicans, who emerged 2-0 winners. “Obviously, it’s a big disappointment for us and we’ve been told that we looked very nervous,” added the skipper. “That’s not how we felt on the pitch, but it goes without saying that we have to improve against Venezuela. There are a lot of players in the team who’ve not taken part in a big tournament like this before and who’ve never felt so much pressure. We need to handle it, though, and show that we’re ready.”
Hong knows that those words apply as much to her as the rest of the team, following a match in which she was below her best. In acknowledging that, she pointed to the difficulties that come with being captain: “I wasn’t able to lead the team as well as I would have liked. When we conceded the first goal, I wasn’t able to get the team back on course.”
Venezuela challenge Defeat against the Mexicans has left Korea Republic with little option but to try and pick up three points in their next match, against tournament newcomers Venezuela. Judging by the South Americans’ valiant performance against defending champions Germany and the fact their elusive players deploy a similar game to Mexico, the task will not be an easy one. Looking ahead to that challenge, Hong, who has four full international caps to her name, said: "The main difference between the senior woman’s national team and the U-20 woman’s national team is experience, because all the players in the senior team know how to handle high risks in difficult situations like the one we faced against Mexico. Those are just the kind of situations in which you grow as a team, though. Now, we know what to expect and we’re preparing hard for it. We’ll learn from our mistakes."
Hong formed part of the Korea Republic side that reached the quarter-finals of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Canada 2014. “I only played for five minutes in total in that tournament, and I see this World Cup as my first,” she said. The Asian side drew their opening match in that competition, against England, before losing 2-1 to eventual runners-up Nigeria and then clinching second place in the section thanks to a 2-1 defeat of Mexico. Their run came to an end in the last-eight, where France beat them 4-3 in a penalty shoot-out.
Hong and her team-mates have travelled to Papua New Guinea with the aim of making the last eight again, an objective they are refusing to give up on, as she confirmed: “This defeat is a backward step, but we still have two games to play and we will continue to hope. Our tournament isn’t over yet.”