Women's soccer team lost 1-4 to Japan in 'No Korea-Japan match against Korea and Japan'... Frustrated to advance to the Asian Cup Final

*This content was translated by AI.

The South Korean women's national soccer team, which was trying to advance to the final for the second consecutive Asian Cup of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), was eliminated without crossing Japan's wall again.

South Korea, led by head coach Shin Sang-woo, was completely defeated by Japan 1-4 in the semifinals of the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup at Stadium Australia in Sydney, Australia on the 18th (Korea time).

On this day, South Korea had only 30% of the ball possession, and the number of shots was greatly pushed back to 6-21, and the tournament ended in the semifinals without crossing Japan's wall.

As a result, Korean women's soccer has been mired in a Korea-Japan match winless swamp for 11 years since its 2-1 victory at the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) East Asian Cup in 2015. The gap has widened with four wins, 12 draws, and 20 losses in recent Korea-Japan match matches.

On the other hand, Japan, which reached the final of the tournament for the first time in eight years, beat China the previous day and competed with Australia, the host country, for the championship. Japan will try to win three times in total following the 2014 and 2018 competitions, and Australia will try to win two times in total following the 2010 competitions.

On this day, Jeon Yu-kyung (MoldeFK), Park Soo-jung (AC Milan), Moon Eun-joo (Hwacheon KSPO) were in front, while Jang Seul-ki (Gyeongju KHNP), Kim Shin-ji (Rangers WFC) Minyoung Jung, and Choo Hyo-joo (Otawa Lapid) formed a midfield team. Roh Jin-young (Mungyeong Sangmu), Ko Yu-jin (Incheon Hyundai Steel) and Kim Hye-ri (Suwon FC Women) defended the defense line, while Kim Min-jung (Incheon Hyundai Steel) defended the goal.

South Korea allowed a painful first run in the 15th minute of the first half. He lost the ball to the opponent's forward pressure while building up in the last room, allowing Riko Ueki to score the first run. Ten minutes later, Hamano Micah broke down the right side and even connected a shot to shake the Korean net. Two defenders joined the defense near the corner, but failed to stop Hamano's breakthrough.

The embattled South Korea tried to find a loophole in Japan, but Japan's concentration was hardly disturbed. Rather, only a frustrating game continued without even getting a proper shot opportunity. In the end, head coach Shin Sang-woo sought to turn the mood around by putting in Ji So-yeon (Suwon FC Women) in the extra time of the first half.

South Korea, which had little chance to catch up in the second half, eventually lost its third goal in the 30th minute of the second half. In a corner kick situation, Saki Kumagai's header was sucked into the Korean goal. Goalkeeper Kim Min-jung hit the ball and emptied the goal, but he lost an additional goal while not handling the ball properly.

However, South Korea scored a comeback goal with Kang Chae-rim's right-footed turning shot three minutes after the additional loss. However, South Korea failed to continue its momentum and allowed Chiba Lemina to lose her fourth point in the 36th minute of the second half in a counterattack. It was a net goal that effectively ended the game on the day.

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*This content was translated by AI.