(Reuters) – South Korean midfielder Ji So-yun said she wants to mark what is likely to be her third and final Women’s World Cup by extending her all-time scoring record and steering the team to the business end of the showpiece event.
The 32-year-old, who joined Suwon FC in 2022 after a trophy-laden eight years at Chelsea, has 66 scored international goals since her debut in 2006 but only one at the World Cup – a penalty against Costa Rica in a group match in 2015.
South Korea will begin their campaign against Colombia on July 25 before taking on Morocco and former champions Germany at the July 20 to Aug. 20 tournament in Australia and New Zealand.
“I’ve been with more than half of the girls here for over 10 years, and this could be the final World Cup for our generation,” Ji was quoted as saying by Yonhap News Agency on Monday.
“I want to enjoy this as much as I can, and try to take the team as deep as possible. I’ve only scored penalty goals at the World Cup, and I’d like to score one from the field … I will really push for a goal at this World Cup.
“Everyone here is really driven and motivated, and the coach is pleased with what he’s seen. I think we’re very well prepared physically.”
South Korea will be competing at their third straight World Cup and fourth overall, but have advanced to the knockout stage only once when they reached the round of 16 in 2015 in Canada.
They lost all three group games at the 2019 tournament in France and scored only once.
“I want to bring better results than in 2019,” Ji said. “We’re ready for that. I hope you can see how good we are.”
(Reporting by Hritika Sharma in Hyderabad; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
