Korea and Japan both earned their spots in the quarterfinals on Monday, dispatching their respective ASEAN opposition at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune.
The Taeguk Ladies secured theirs first with a 2-0 victory over Myanmar in the afternoon, with Lee Geum-min scoring early in the second half, and an own goal to secure the three points.
Colin Bell's side had to earn this result, as the Burmese frustrated the Koreans, to the extent that the Englishman had to bring in captain Ji So-yun off the bench just over a half-an-hour in.
It took 49 minutes for Korea to finally break through, as Jang Sel-gi sent one inside the box, with Cho So-hyun heading down towards Lee to strike towards the net.
The Koreans tried to add to that lead, but Jang's attempt hit the crossbar, whist Ji's and Lee's chances were saved by May Zin Nwe.
The second goal finally came with seven minutes remaining, with Kim Hye-ri's cross went towards Ji, with the Chelsea Women stalwart's header being deflected inside the post by Tun Khin Mo Mo.
Later in the evening, Japan joined Korea into the quarters with a 3-0 victory over Vietnam.
With a 5-0 victory over Myanmar under their belts, Futoshi Ikeda shuffled the deck against the SEA Games gold medalists, only retaining Saki Kumagai, Risa Shimizu, and Mina Tanaka in the starting eleven.
Yui Narumiya broke through in the 38th minute for the lone goal of the first half.
The second goal came five minutes after the start of the second half, with Kumagai quick to respond after Tanaka's head hitting the woodwork.
Narumiya would cap off the scoring eight minutes later, as she became the target of a Kumagai corner that the INAC Kobe midfielder would easily convert.
Vietnam tried to enter the scoresheet in the final twenty minutes, but keeper Momo Tanaka easily handled Pham Hai Yen's attempt from distance in what was their best opportunity in the 75th minute.
Quarterfinal spots assured, Japan and Korea tangle on Thursday to see who will top Group C, whilst Myanmar and Vietnam face off to see who can finish third in the group.
No comments:
Post a Comment