Korea beat Hong Kong 5-0 to reach women's football quarterfinals

The Taeguk Ladies romped to a big 5-0 victory over Hong Kong in a Group E match at the Hangzhou Asian Games on Thursday to advance to the knockout stage with three straight wins.

It was a slow start for Korea at WOC Stadium in Hangzhou, China, with Colin Bell’s squad seemingly struggling to find their feet despite facing a far lower ranked opponent.

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Whatever the cause, the general malaise kept the Taeguk Ladies off the scoreboard for the first 30 minutes of the game, with Moon Mi-ra finally breaking the spell on the half hour mark to open the scoring.

Moon added a second goal in stoppage time at the end of the half, with Korean then returning after the break to hammer in three more — two from Mun Eun-ju with a Hong Kong own goal in the middle.

Despite the solid result, Thursday’s game did raise some concerns going into the knockout stage. Both Lee Min-a and Moon left the pitch on stretchers after particularly rough tackles, potentially creating a bigger issue for Bell if the injuries turn out to be serious.

With the win, South Korea top Group E with three wins, beating Myanmar 3-0, the Philippines 5-1 and Hong Kong 5-0. That earns them a ticket to the quarterfinal, where — according to the most recent information shared by the Hangzhou Asian Games — they should face Group C winner North Korea on Saturday.

That bracket still has not been confirmed on the official Asian Games website as of press time Thursday, but is true according to the most recent information from the Korea Football Association before the Games began.

While South Korea competed in the four-team Group E, North Korea were in the two-team Group C where their only opponent was Singapore and they played two legs. The North won both games, walking away with an aggregate 17-0 score.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]