▲ Members of the South Korean women's national football team huddle around their head coach, Colin Bell (C), before a training session for the Asian Football Confederation Women's Asian Cup at Symbiosis International University in Pune, India, on Jan. 17, 2022, in this photo provided by the Korea Football Association. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ The 23 players of the South Korean women's national football team for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Asian Cup pose for a team photo at Namhae Sports Park in Namhae, about 500 kilometers south of Seoul, on Jan. 12, 2022, in this photo provided by the Korea Football Association. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ Colin Bell, head coach of the South Korean women's national football team, directs his players during a training session at Namhae Sports Park in Namhae, about 500 kilometers south of Seoul, on Jan. 12, 2022. (Yonhap)
▲ Members of the South Korean women's national football team train for the Asian Football Confederation Women's Asian Cup at Symbiosis International University in Pune, India, on Jan. 17, 2022, in this photo provided by the Korea Football Association. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

football-tournament

S. Korea to embark on quest for maiden Asian women's football title vs. Vietnam

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's quest for their first Asian women's football title will begin Friday in India against Vietnam.

It will be the opening Group C contest for the two teams at the 2022 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Asian Cup. The kickoff is 7:30 p.m. Friday (local time) at Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune, about 1,170 kilometers south of Delhi, or 11 p.m. Friday in South Korea.

South Korea. ranked 18th, have beaten the 32nd-ranked Vietnam in all 11 meetings so far. Their most recent showdown ended in a 3-0 victory for South Korea in an Olympic qualifier in February 2020.

Two other teams in Group C, Japan and Myanmar, will go toe to toe at 1:30 p.m. Friday at Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex. Japan are the two-time defending champions and are the highest-ranked team in the group at No. 13. Myanmar are the lowest-ranked nation in Group C at No. 46.

For all intents and purposes, the final group match against Japan next Thursday may be the only game on South Korean players' minds. Against Myanmar, whom they will face Monday, South Korea have been perfect in six previous head-to-head matches.

However, South Korea head coach Colin Bell has refused to look past the team's first opponent and has stressed the need to take things one step at a time. When asked last week to break down South Korea's three opponents in the group stage, Bell only discussed Vietnam.

He used words "good" and "intelligent" to describe Vietnam, and said his players should be wary of Vietnamese players' speed.

Still, South Korea should have little trouble Friday, given their superior talent up and down the lineup. The 23-man roster features four players based in Europe, including Ji So-yun of Chelsea FC Women. Ji is South Korean football's all-time leading scorer with 59 goals in 131 matches.

Bell asked the attacking midfielder to play more as a deep-lying playmaker in recent matches, to varying degrees of success. Ji has the vision and passing skills to create opportunities for her teammates, and their ability to finish those chances will be put to the test throughout the tournament.

There are three groups of four as the Women's Asian Cup, which will run through Feb. 6 across India. The top two teams from each group, plus the two-best third-place teams, will advance to the quarterfinals.

The competition will also double as the Asian qualification for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup. The top five nations from the Women's Asian Cup will qualify for the World Cup, while two more teams will end up in the intercontinental playoffs.

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