Australia and South Korea were forced to play in freezing conditions and deep snow at the 2024 AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup.
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U20 Asian Cup match played in snowSouth Korea and Australia struggle on Pitch conditions heavily criticisedWHAT HAPPENED?
Despite efforts to clear parts of the pitch, much of the turf was covered in thick snow at Do'stlikStadium in Uzbekistan on Sunday. The players were seen digging through the white stuff to set up a free-kick in brutal conditions but managed to get through the contest which ended in a 2-1 win for the Young Matildas after Peta Trimis and Naomi Chinnama's 90th-minute goal cancelled out Yu-Kyoung Jeon's opener.
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Australian journalist Samantha Lewis posted a video of the game, and captioned it: "Seriously, what the hell? Explain yourselves Asian Cup!!!"
Another onlooker wrote on X: "Watching them dig through the snow themselves for the kick is INSANE."
AFCTHE BIGGER PICTURE
To put it lightly, the weather conditions were not conducive of a game of football, let alone a good one. The players' safety and welfare could come into question in temperatures such as this and it is credit to them for completing the match at all.
WHAT NEXT?
The 11th edition of the tournament runs from March 3-16 and involves eight teams. Australia next face competition hosts Uzbekistan on March 6 whereas South Korea take on Chinese Taipei on the same date.