Korea reach Asian Cup semifinals with 1-0 win over Australia

Football

Published: 30 Jan. 2022, 20:47

Korea reach Asian Cup semifinals with 1-0 win over Australia

Ji So-yun celebrates scoring Korea's winning goal against Australia in the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup on Sunday at Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune, India. [NEWS1]

Korea beat Australia 1-0 on Sunday to advance to the semifinals of the Asian Cup for the first time in eight years and earn a spot at the 2023 World Cup.

Sunday’s match between Korea and Australia promised to be a close one, pitting two of the three highest-ranked teams in the tournament against each other early in the knockout round.

It was a nail-biter of a game, with the two sides trading shots with no success until, with just eight minutes left on the clock, Chelsea star Ji So-yun broke through to score the winning goal with a mid-range screamer.

Australia had some huge opportunities in the first half, but Korea’s goalkeeper Kim Jung-mi put in an exceptional performance to keep a clean sheet.

Korea’s first real chance at scoring came in the 38th minute, when Korea earned a penalty following a VAR review of a foul on Lee Geum-min. Tottenham's Cho So-hyun took the penalty, but sent it over the bar.

Cho So-hyun, right, plays the ball against Australia in the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup on Sunday at Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune, India. [NEWS1]

Cho on Sunday became the most-capped Korean player of all time across both genders, starting her 137th match for the Taeguk Ladies and beating the previous record of 136 matches held by Korean football legend Cha Bum-kun and Ulsan Hyundai manager Hong Myung-bo.

After 87 minutes of drama, Ji came to the rescue, picking up a perfectly timed pass from Lee, turning around a defender and firing the ball into the net from outside the box for her fourth goal of the tournament. Immediately after the goal, Ji grabbed her right thigh and had to be substituted out in obvious pain.

With the win, world No. 18 Korea beat tournament favorites No. 11 Australia, sending The Matildas, who will host the 2023 World Cup, home early.

Ji So-yun celebrates Korea's victory against Australia in the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup on Sunday at Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune, India. [NEWS1]

“It was a difficult match,” Ji said after the match.

“I am grateful to my fellow teammates to have fought until the very end. It’s meaningful because we beat a strong team. We will now focus on the semifinals and reaching the finals.”

Japan also earned a spot in the semifinals by beating Thailand 7-1 on Sunday. As of press time, the two other semifinals, between China and Vietnam and Taipei and the Philippines, had yet to be played. Korea will face either Taipei or the Philippines in the semifinal on Thursday.

The Asian Cup also serves as a qualifying event for the 2023 Women's World Cup that will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. The top five teams in the Asian Cup will qualify for the World Cup, with two more teams advancing to the playoffs.

By reaching the semifinals, Korea have locked in their spot and will appear at their third consecutive World Cup next year.

BY YUN SO-HYANG [yun.sohyang@joongang.co.kr]