*This content was translated by AI.
The women's national team, which was embroiled in an unprecedented controversy over improving treatment, including demands for business seats and boycotts ahead of the tournament, won its first match at the Asian Cup.
The South Korean women's national soccer team, led by head coach Shin Sang-woo, defeated Iran 3-0 in the first Group A match of the 2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Asian Cup at Gold Coast Stadium in Australia at 6 p.m. on the 2nd (Korea time).
South Korea, ranked 21st in the FIFA rankings, successfully took the first step toward the 2027 FIFA World Cup finals in Brazil with an overwhelming performance against Iran (68th).
On this day, South Korea operated a 4-4-2 formation. Choi Yoo-jung and Ji So-yeon were two-top, while Choi Yu-ri and Moon Eun-joo were placed on the left and right wings. Kang Chae-rim and Minyoung Jung defended the midfield and Jang Seul-ki, Noh Jin-young, Ko Yu-jin and Kim Hye-ri took charge of the four backs. Kim Min-jung defended the goal.
South Korea took the lead in the game from the beginning and pushed Iran. In the 15th minute of the first half, Kang Chae-rim took a decisive opportunity at the gate. However, the shot he attempted by flying himself was futilely in the goalkeeper's arms and swallowed the disappointment. In the 17th minute, Moon Eun-joo received a right foot penetration pass and attempted to shoot at the left-footed gate, but it was missed and headed in front of the goalkeeper.
It was Choi Yu-ri who broke the frustrating trend. In the 37th minute, Choi Yu-ri cut the bottom right corner of the Iranian goal with a calm right footed shot near the goal.
Iran has been dragged around the whole time. Not a single shot was made against South Korea throughout the first half.
At the start of the second half, Iran sought a counterattack by replacing three players at once.
But the power difference was too big. South Korea ran the game leisurely and raised its energy level by simultaneously putting in Lee Eun-young, Kim Min-ji and Song Jae-eun in the 12th minute of the second half.
The extra goal came from the performance of the replacement card. Lee Eun-young, who was replaced in the 14th minute, won a penalty by inducing a foul within the penalty area, and Kim Hye-ri, who played as a kicker, calmly succeeded and ran away 2-0.
There was also a crisis. In the 21st minute of the second half, the South Korean defense momentarily missed the opponent in the set-piece situation, and Iranian Mona Hamudi's header shot came out. Fortunately, the ball hit the head and did not lead to a run in front of goalkeeper Kim Min-jung.
He scored his third goal. In the 30th minute, Ko Yu-jin finished Kim Hye-ri's right foot cross with a header in a free kick situation.
Despite the three-goal lead, Korea did not slow down its wave offensive. Iran, which was considered inferior in power, collapsed without properly counterattacking.
Ahead of the tournament, the Korean national team drew cold attention from fans as some players demanded the same business seats as the men's national team and even mentioned boycotts. The Korea Football Association decided to accept some of the demands and support business seats for long-distance travel such as the AFC official tournament finals, Asian Games, and Olympic finals.
Iran's entire team is in chaos due to a national emergency in which supreme leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei is killed. Iranian coach Marjee Jafari also refused to answer questions about the pre-match air strike against South Korea.
South Korea, which belongs to Group A in the group stage, is scheduled to face the Philippines on the 5th and Australia, the host country, on the 8th.
A total of 12 teams will participate in the Asian Cup in three groups, and the top two teams among the first, second, and third-place teams in each group will advance to the quarterfinals. A total of six teams will qualify for the Women's World Cup in Brazil, including four teams that advanced to the semifinals and two teams that eliminated the quarterfinals who won the playoffs.
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*This content was translated by AI.
