SYDNEY (AP) — South Korea beat host Australia to take first place in Group A. Women’s Asian Cup They won on goal difference after a 3-3 draw in front of a tournament record crowd at Stadium Australia in Sydney on Sunday.
The Philippines maintained their chances of making it to the quarterfinals with a 2-0 win over Iran in another Group A match that kicked off at the same time in rainy conditions at the Gold Coast Stadium.
of Iranian women’s team withdraws from tournament With three losses, they will return to a country embroiled in war. Organizers have not released details regarding Iran’s departure from Australia.
The Philippines will have to sweat out other results after finishing third in Group A, as the top two teams from each of the three groups and the top two third-place teams will advance to the quarterfinals.
South Korea will face the third-placed team from Group B or Group C in the quarter-finals, while Australia will face either defending champions China or three-time champions North Korea.
Australia’s late goal wasn’t enough
Australia fought back twice from goal in front of a crowd of 60,279, with Chelsea forward Sam Kerr playing a key role and Alana Kennedy scoring twice, including the equalizer late in stoppage time. Both teams finished the group stage undefeated, but 2022 finalists South Korea finished with a one-point lead over Australia on goal difference.
The crowd exceeded the 44,379 spectators for the opening match between Australia and the Philippines held in Perth on March 1, setting a record for the Women’s Asian Cup.
Australia missed scoring opportunities with Kerr and Caitlin Ford, but South Korea took the lead with a counter-attacking goal in the 13th minute when Jung Yu-kyung outran the defense and Moon Eun-joo set up the score.
Goals from Ford and Mary Fowler for Kenny made it 1-1 in the 32nd minute, before Kerr gave Australia a 2-1 lead heading into half-time, with Kerr scoring from close range just before half-time.
Kim Shin-ji and Kang Chae-rim came on as substitutes in the second half and immediately made an impact, giving South Korea a 3-2 lead. In the 53rd minute, Kim Shin-ji’s penalty made it 2-2, and four minutes later, he crossed for a goal.
Kennedy’s goal eight minutes into stoppage time left Australia unbeaten, although they were not entirely satisfied with the result.
“We all know we needed to win tonight, so in fairness it felt like a loss,” Kerr said.
South Korean coach Shin Sang-woo felt his team should win.
“I would like to thank all the players who gave 100% without giving up until the end. It’s a little disappointing that we couldn’t finish the game with three points, but I’m still happy that we were able to score the first goal to win this group.”
Philippines still in contention
The Philippines played a tough match against the Iranian women’s team, scoring a goal in each half, sealing third place and maintaining their chances of advancing.
Sara Didar gave Iran an early chance, but her shot in the sixth minute was easily saved by goalkeeper Olivia McDaniel.
On the other side, 38-year-old Iranian goalkeeper Raha Yazdani made three saves in four minutes to equalize, but the Philippines took the lead in the 29th minute with a goal from Sara Eggesvik after a VAR review.
Yazdani made three more crucial saves late in the first half to get the score back 1-0, and it took until the 82nd minute for substitute Chandler McDaniel to score to give the Philippines a two-goal reprieve.
State of play
In Group B, defending champions China and three-time champions North Korea will advance to the quarterfinals after the finals. Two consecutive wins. On Monday, North Korea will play China in a match to decide the top spot, while Bangladesh will face Uzbekistan.
In group C, Two-time champion Japan They lead with six points after beating India 11-0 in Perth on Saturday. Japan will next face Vietnam, who lost to Taiwan 0-1 on Saturday after a 2-1 win over India in their opening match.
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