On the eve of his team’s quarterfinals clash against Chinese Taipei in the women’s football at the Asian Games, South Korean head coach Yoon Duk-yeo said Thursday his players shouldn’t take their opponents lightly.
South Korea, in pursuit of its first Asiad gold in the women’s football, finished the group stage with a perfect 3-0 record, scoring 28 goals while giving up none.
Chinese Taipei, on the other hand, was winless in three group matches, with a draw and two losses with two goals scored against nine goals allowed. The top two teams from each of the three groups reached the quarters, and Chinese Taipei was able to join them as the best No. 3 seed.
On paper, the match should be a cakewalk for South Korea, especially since the team will now have the service of striker Ji So-yun, whose English club, Chelsea Ladies, only made her available for two knockout matches should South Korea reach the semis.
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| South Korean head coach Yoon Duk-yeo (Yonhap) |
At a prematch press conference, though, Yoon said he told his players not to get too arrogant.
“I told them we all need to stay humble and put aside personal ambitions,” he said. “I do think that our players are more skilled overall, but in football, things don’t always go as planned.”
Yoon insisted these elimination matches will be a different animal than group stage contests, and he will also devise game plans accordingly.
“In the tournament stage, we can’t afford to make even a small mistake,” the coach said. “We need to improve our concentration on set pieces. We have to score first early in order to dictate the game the way we want to.”
Yoon will count on Ji, who has 30 goals in 62 international matches, to take care of business on offense. Yoon dispelled concerns that team chemistry will be an issue when Ji steps in Friday without having played a match with the Asiad teammates.
“She is an important player for us and I am not worried about our cohesion,” the coach added. “She still seems a bit jetlagged (after arriving from England on Monday) but after more practice today, she should be good to go tomorrow.”
Masayuki Nagira, the Japan-born head coach of Chinese Taipei, said he was aware of Ji’s prowess, as the player spent three seasons with a Japanese club, INAC Kobe.
“She is a quality player with great skills,” Nagira said.
“We’re not going to let her roam free (against us).” (Yonhap)
