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Korea women's football coach satisfied with draw vs. Japan at Asian Cup

April 11, 2018 - 11:00 By Yonhap

South Korea women's football coach Yoon Duk-yeo said Wednesday he is satisfied with the result against Japan at the Asian Football Confederation Women's Asian Cup.

Yoon's side played to a scoreless draw with defending champions Japan in their Group B match at Amman International Stadium in Amman, Jordan, on Tuesday (local time).

"We didn't earn a bad result against a good team like Japan," Yoon said. "Although we collected a draw, I think it provided us an opportunity to grow."


South Korea women`s national football team head coach Yoon Duk-yeo in Amman, Jordan on April 6. (Yonhap)

South Korea, ranked 16th in the latest FIFA rankings, had four wins, nine draws and 15 losses all-time against No. 11 Japan prior to their meeting in Amman.

The AFC Women's Asian Cup doubles as the final Asian qualifier for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France, with the top five nations qualifying for the showpiece event in women's football. The eight-team continental tournament features two groups of four and the top two teams from each group will grab their ticket to France, while the third-place teams from each group will have to square off in the fifth-place match for the last World Cup spot.

With the latest result, South Korea are third in Group B with two draws. The Taeguk Ladies also had a 0-0 draw with sixth-ranked Australia last week.

Australia and Japan are tied at one win and one draw, with the former atop the group standings with better goal difference.

"Against Japan, we like to play attacking football, so I asked Jung Seol-bin and Lee Geum-min to be more aggressive, and we had some decisive chances," he said. "But it's pity that we couldn't score goals."

Yoon, however, said it's a positive that they were able to collect a point from Japan.

"I must say earning a point was more important than scoring goals," he said. "We've been targeting getting five points in three matches so having two points at this moment is not that bad."

South Korea will wrap up their group stage campaign against Vietnam at King Abdullah II Stadium in Amman on Friday. Yoon's side, however, also have to watch the match between Japan and Australia to find out their World Cup fate.

South Korean captain Cho So-hyun said the players are looking to score as many goals as they can when they meet Vietnam.

"If we score lots of goals in the next match, I think we can pressure Australia and Japan," she said. "We know the importance of the last match. If we don't rush, I think we can score many goals." (Yonhap)