"Asian Cup quarter-finals" women's soccer team secured qualification for the final Olympic qualifying round... Director Shin Sang-woo said, "I'm happy to achieve my first goal."

*This content was translated by AI.

Shin Sang-woo (50), the head coach of the South Korean women's national soccer team, expressed his joy at advancing to the quarterfinals of the 2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Asian Cup as the top of the group.

South Korea, led by head coach Shin Sang-woo, drew 3-3 after a slugfest in the final third round of Group A of the '2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Asian Cup' against Australia at Stadium Australia in Sydney, Australia on the 8th (Korea time).

South Korea, which has two wins and one draw (7 points, goal difference +6), has the same points as Australia (7 points, goal difference + 5), but has advanced to the quarterfinals as No. 1 in the group, leading in goal difference.

South Korea will compete with the third place in Group B or Group C to advance to the semifinals at 6 p.m. on the 14th. Australia, which is second in the group, will play second in Group B in the quarterfinals. North Korea or China is the most likely runner-up in Group B. If South Korea had lost on the day, it would have faced the favorite from the quarterfinals.

In addition, the team has secured a berth for the final Asian qualifying round for women's soccer at the 2028 Los Angeles (LA) Olympics, which will be given to the quarterfinals of this year's event.

According to the Korea Football Association on the 9th, coach Shin Sang-woo said, "I am grateful to the players who fought without giving up even when they were losing. "It's a shame that the game that could have ended with a victory was a draw due to the last loss, but I'm very happy to advance to the quarterfinals, the first goal of the group while preparing for the tournament," he said.

South Korea took the perfect advantage by passing the top of the group. If they were pushed to second place, they had to move to Perth and play only four days off. However, as he confirmed his stay in Sydney, he will play five days later without travel fatigue.

Head coach Shin Sang-woo said, "Today's players will do their best to advance to the quarterfinals as No. 1 in the group, so it is very positive to stay in Sydney and have more recovery and preparation time without moving hard to other cities."

Kang Chae-rim, Australia's most valuable player, said, "I'm happy to finish the group stage at the top of the group. I want to show a more advanced performance in the quarterfinals and in the games after that," he said.

Korea's next goal is a ticket to the World Cup. A total of six teams, including the semifinalists and the playoff winners, will qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup in Brazil.

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*This content was translated by AI.