'Next is Japan': Korean women's football team reaches semifinals for the first time in eight years... Yoon Soo-jung hat-trick + Choi Yu-ri multi-goal leads to a 6-3 victory over Uzbekistan [Aichi Nagoya AG]

*This content was translated by AI.

The Korean women's football team defeated Uzbekistan and reached the Asian Games semifinals for the first time in eight years.

Led by head coach Shin Sang-woo, the South Korea Yeo Ja-chuk-gu (CEO) team secured a 6-3 victory over Uzbekistan in the Round of 16 match at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan, on the 25th during the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games women's football tournament.

After suffering a Round of 16 exit at the 2022 Hangzhou Games, South Korea successfully advanced to the semifinals for the first time since the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, eight years later.

Notably, Yoon Soo-jung (Suwon FC Wimin) led the decisive victory with a hat-trick on this day. Choi Yu-ri (Suwon FC Wimin) also scored multiple goals, and Kim Min-ji (Seoul City Hall) added a late goal to seal the win just before the final whistle.

The best-ever result for Korean women's football at the Asian Games is a bronze medal. The team finished third three times: at the 2010 Guangzhou, 2014 Incheon, and 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games.

However, this time they aim higher. Ahead of the tournament, Shin Sang-woo emphasized, "Our goal is to reach the finals and change the color of our medal."

South Korea has now taken a step closer to that goal by overcoming Uzbekistan.

From the opening moments of today's match, a storm of goals erupted.

South Korea took the lead in the 6th minute with an early goal from Yoon Soo-jung.

Uzbekistan quickly equalized in the 10th minute through Diyorakhon Khabibullaeva, but South Korea's offense proved stronger. In the 17th minute, Choi Yu-ri scored again to restore South Korea's lead.

In the final moments of the first half, South Korea intensified their attack. Yoon Soo-jung scored her second goal in the 44th minute, and Choi Yu-ri completed her multi-goal feat during stoppage time, leaving South Korea ahead 4-1 at halftime.

A brief crisis emerged in the second half. In the 19th minute, Jang Seul-gi scored an own goal, and two minutes later, Nilufar Kudratova added another goal for Uzbekistan, narrowing the gap to 4-3 in an instant.

But South Korea remained unshaken.

Once again, Yoon Soo-jung emerged as the hero. In the 29th minute of the second half, she skillfully redirected a free kick to find the back of the net, completing her hat-trick with her third goal.

South Korea extended their lead by two goals and caught their breath. Just before the final whistle, Kim Min-ji added another goal, capping off the 6-3 victory.

On this day, South Korea converted 10 of their 18 shots into on-target attempts. They dominated in corner kicks as well, leading 8-3, and relentlessly pressed Uzbekistan with an offensive onslaught, ultimately securing the win with six goals.

South Korea's next opponent is their "eternal rival," Japan. Japan advanced to the semifinals by defeating the Philippines 4-0 in their Round of 16 match played at the same time.

If South Korea defeats Japan, they will reach the Asian Games women's football finals for the first time in history.

In the other semifinal, North Korea and China will clash for a spot in the final. North Korea defeated Taiwan 5-1, while China beat Vietnam 1-0.

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*This content was translated by AI.