Indian women’s football team loses 3-0 to South Korea in final match

The Indian women’s football team wrapped up its Pink Ladies Cup 2025 campaign with a 3-0 loss against the Republic of Korea at the Al Hamriya Sports Club Stadium in Sharjah on Wednesday.

World No. 20 South Korea, the best-ranked football team in this year’s Pink Ladies Cup, took the lead through Choi Yoojung and Choi Dagyeong in the first-half before Mun Eunju added a third in the 81st minute.

In the Pink Ladies Cup 2025, India played three matches and picked up one victory. After winning the opener against Jordan 2-0, they went down to Russia and South Korea.

As expected, the Koreans started brightly and camped themselves in the Indian half right from the word go.

Crispin Chettri’s girls, however, did well in closing the gaps early and took the sting out of Korean attacks to some extent. But the resolve eventually faltered.

Relentless pressure forced the Indian defenders to commit a few infringements near their area and one of them resulted in the first goal in the eighth minute. Choi Yoojung and skipper Lee Youngju were the livewires of the Korean attacks and the former struck the first blow.

The direct free kick Indian conceded was on the edge of the box with a clear view of the frame. Choi Yoojung hammered the free kick brilliantly to beat Indian goalkeeper Shreya Hooda.

Overall, Shreya was an alert customer, always on her toes as she had to negotiate with too many onslaughts from all angles. She did her job well, including saving a penalty in the 66th minute, but Shreya could do little when Choi Dagyeong scored the second goal in the 27th minute.

The Indian defenders allowed the ball to stay in the Indian box for too long and paid the price. Dagyeong tapped the ball in from close range.

The Indian women’s football team, 69th in the FIFA world rankings, managed a few forward forays throughout the match.

In the first half, the only time the Korean goalkeeper was tested was when she collected Lynda Kom’s hopeful shot rather easily. India earned a few corners though none of them produced anything fruitful.

In the second half, India looked better organised and posed more of a threat through the wings.

At the other end, the South Koreans found Indian defenders a tough nut to crack in the second-half before Mun Eunju managed to increase the margin in the 81st minute.