Ryu Ji-soo (Seoul Metropolitan Government), Belho’s “third goalkeeper” at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia-New Zealand 2023, has been diagnosed with a torn ankle ligament.
“After a medical examination, it was diagnosed that Ryu Ji-soo’s ankle ligaments were ruptured, and she will undergo conservative treatment (rather than surgery),” an official from the Korea Football Association said on Sept. 29.메이저놀이터
“Whether or not he will return home has not yet been finalized,” the official added.
Ryu, who was born in 1997 and is participating in the World Cup for the first time, suffered the “unfortunate injury” during team training at Campbelltown Sports Stadium on the outskirts of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, the day before.
While blocking a shot by Park Eun-sun (Seoul Metropolitan Government), Ryu injured her left ankle, which was not in good shape.
Park’s shot just happened to hit the tip of Ryu’s left foot, and the impact put a lot of pressure on the ankle, causing Ryu to immediately complain of pain.
Unable to get up from the field for a while, Ryu was eventually carried off the field by coach Jung Jeong-seok and taken to the hospital.
As she was carried off the field on a stretcher, Ryu was in tears as she realized the extent of her injury.
Bad news ahead of Morocco
(Campbelltown [Australia], July 28) — South Korea’s women’s soccer team goalkeeper Ryu Ji-soo is treated for a left ankle injury after blocking a shot by Park Eun-sun during training at Campbelltown Sports Stadium on the outskirts of Sydney, Australia, on the morning of July 28, two days before the team’s second group match against Morocco. 2023.7.28 utzza@yna.co.kr
Ryu Ji-soo has never played an A-match (a match between national teams), but has been called up by coach Colin Bell as a ‘backup’.
This is in case Yoon Young-gl (BK Hecken) and Kim Jung-mi (Incheon Hyundai Steel) are unable to play, but Ryu’s departure will leave the national team with one less goalkeeper to protect the door for the remainder of training.
This will further complicate head coach Colin Bell’s decision on the goalkeeping position.
Kim Jung-mi, the ‘eldest’ member of the national team born in 1984, had a shaky performance in a domestic exhibition match against Haiti on March 8, conceding an early goal when she decided to stay back instead of moving forward in the face of an onslaught of attackers.
Yoon Young-gl, who was selected to start the first match against Colombia on Sept. 25, also made the same mistake in the 39th minute when she failed to properly clear Linda Caicedo’s (Real Madrid) mid-range shot.
In training the day after the match, Yoon ran around the field alone while the rest of the team participated in light recovery exercises such as futsal.
The team’s second opponent will be Morocco, who are making their first appearance at the World Cup.
The match will kick off at 1:30 p.m. ET on Sept. 30 at Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide, South Australia.
Ryu Ji-soo
[Photo courtesy of the Korea Football Association, resale and DB prohibited].