Wales made to rue missed chances as they draw with South Korea

Wales were made to rue a number of fine chances as they were forced to settle with a 1-1 draw against South Korea in Spain.

Sophie Ingle had given Wales the lead just six minutes in with a header, and Cymru should have scored another five or six in the first period, but a number of missed chances would come back to haunt them.

Out of nowhere, Kim Min-ji levelled for South Korea from a set-piece, as Wales now make it twelve games without a win.

Wales will end 2025 with a friendly against Switzerland in Jerez on Tuesday. Kick-off will be at 11am.

Wales manager Rhian Wilkinson elected to make a number of changes from the side that lost to Poland last time out. A number of senior players made a return to the eleven, including Rhiannon Roberts and Sophie Ingle.

For South Korea, former Chelsea star Ji So-yun started in the midfield, as did Rangers’ Kim Shin-ji.

It was the Tigresses who got off to the better start. Some strong early pressing penned Wales back in their own half, but Cymru weathered the storm well before setting out on the front foot themselves.

Catching South Korea playing out from the back, Sophie Ingle had a shot from distance, but keeper Kim Min-jung made a fine save. However, from the resulting corner, Wales took the lead. Lily Woodham’s inswinger found the head of Ingle, who nodded home from two-yards out.

For the next 20 minutes, Wales were relentless. The high press were causing South Korea all kinds of problems, and Wilkinson will be disappointed not to have scored more goals. Ingle missed two fine chances, Hannah Cain failed to turn the ball home from a couple of yards, while Mared Griffiths dragged a shot wide.

The best chance South Korea had came from a Wales error. Angharad James gave the ball away cheaply and that allowed them to counter. The ball eventually made its way to So-yun, but Olivia Clark stood firm to make the save. The rebound was almost converted, but Roberts got back to make an important block.

The rest of the first half went by without incident. South Korea stabilised well but weren’t doing much to pressure Wales at the other end. At the break, Cymru went in ahead, but it should have been by a far bigger advantage.

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It was almost a dream second half for Wales. Substitute Elise Hughes was played through in the box by Carrie Jones. The Palace forward composed herself, but she could only hit the base of the post.

Minutes later, Wales were almost the makers of their own downfall again. Trying to play out from the back, they were caught out, and that allowed Choi Yoo-jung to have a clear strike on goal, but Clark made a vital stop to keep Cymru ahead.

Wales had looked in control for well over an hour, but when you don’t take your chances there’s a possibility you will be punished, and South Korea did level things midway through the second half. A short corner routine led to a cross being headed in by Kim Min-ji, who was left unmarked in the area.

The goal gave the team in blue plenty of hope and they set out to find a winner. Casey Phair almost scored by closing down Clark, but the Welsh keeper did just enough to clear her lines.

Having been in such a comfortable position, there was a sense of panic about Wales. They still tried to play out from the back, but they weren’t doing it with the same level of composure as they did in the opening hour.

There was a slight injection of energy and pace as the clock ticked down, but in reality, Wales could not find the spark that they had in the first half. They were forced to settle for a draw, which stretches their winless run to twelve games.

Player of the Match: Sophie Ingle

Ingle was allowed to play a little further forward than she usually does with Wales and she was dangerous, especially in the first half. Her goal was well taken, and she could easily have had a hat-trick in the opening ten minutes. Be interesting to see if this is the role she will play heading into next year.

Wales

Olivia Clark, Rhiannon Roberts, Hayley Ladd, Gemma Evans, Ffion Morgan (Ceri Holland 60’), Sophie Ingle, Angharad James © (Mia Ross 83’), Lily Woodham, Mared Griffiths, Carrie Jones (Rachel Rowe 60’), Hannah Cain (Elise Hughes 46’)

Unused subs: Safia Middleton-Patel, Poppy Lyons-Walker, Tianna Teisar, Charlie Estcourt, Mary McAteer, Esther Morgan, Ella Powell, Olivia Francis

Goals: Sophie Ingle (6’)

Yellows: Elise Hughes (54’)

South Korea

Kim Min-jung, Kim Hye-ri, Ko Yoo-jin ©, Shin Na-yeong, Jang Sel-gi, Choi Yoo-jung, Kang Chae-rim (Choe Yu-ri 64’), Kim Shin-ji, Song Jae-eun (Kim Min-ji 46’), Son Hwa-yeon (Lee Eun-young 46’), Ji So-yun (Casey Phair 46’)

Unused subs: Woo Seo-bin, Ryu Ji-soo, Choo Hyo-joo, Jeon Yu-gyeong, Kim Mi-yeon, Kim Jin-hui, Lee Su-bin, Lee Min-hwa, Noh Jin-young, Park Soo-jeong

Goals: Kim Min-ji (68’)

Yellows: Shin Na-yeong (53’), Kim Shin-ji (77’), Casey Phair (85’)

(Featured Image: John Smith/FAW)