"Ji So-yun Has Finally Found Her Successor": South Korea's Women's Football Team Defeats Uzbekistan in a Thriller to Face Japan in the Semifinals

[Financial News] It was 90 minutes that swung between agony and ecstasy. Just when the team was on the brink of elimination, a super-prospect who appeared like a comet dramatically lit up Osaka's night sky.
South Korea's women's national football team, led by head coach Shin Sang-woo, defeated Uzbekistan's women's national football team 6-3 in a fiercely contested nine-goal thriller in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Yanmar Stadium Nagai in Osaka on the 25th.
South Korea erased the painful memory of its quarterfinal exit at the 2022 Hangzhou Games and returned to the semifinals for the first time in eight years, since the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games. Attention now turns to the fateful South Korea-Japan showdown, which will take place on the 29th in Fukuroi, Shizuoka Prefecture. A historic first-ever appearance in the Asian Games final is now within reach.
The undisputed star of the match was Yoon Su-jeong (Suwon FC). After scoring a dramatic equalizer in the final group-stage match against North Korea and making a strong impression on Shin Sang-woo, she was unexpectedly named to the starting lineup. The decision proved to be a stroke of genius.
The miracle began just six minutes into the first half. Kim Hye-ri (Suwon FC) delivered a free kick, and Yoon Su-jeong, with her back to the goal, instinctively got her head to the ball. It traced a perfect arc over the Uzbekistan goalkeeper and into the net. It was a spectacular opening goal that drew gasps of admiration.


South Korea conceded an equalizer in the 10th minute but did not waver. In the 17th minute, Choe Yu-ri (Suwon FC Women) at the front fought through a physical challenge with a defender and fired a right-footed shot into the net to put South Korea back in front. With momentum on their side, South Korea added Yoon Su-jeong's second goal in the 44th minute, followed by another from Choe Yu-ri in stoppage time, taking a commanding 4-1 lead into halftime.
Everything pointed to a comfortable South Korean victory. But the ball is round, and complacency can be costly.
In the 15th minute of the second half, Kang Chae-rim (Gangjin Swans Women's Football Club), a key attacking player, went down with an unexpected ankle injury and was replaced by Kang Tae-kyung (Seoul Metropolitan Government). The ominous feeling soon became reality.
Uzbekistan launched its comeback amid the disruption. Jang Sel-gi (Gyeongju Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power FC) scored a painful own goal in the 20th minute, and just a minute later South Korea conceded again to Nilufar Kudratova. The score suddenly stood at 4-3. Cold sweat broke out on the backs of the South Korean bench and players as Uzbekistan closed in.
But heroes are born in troubled times. Once again, it was Yoon Su-jeong who firmly steadied the center of the shaken national team.
In the 29th minute of the second half, just as everyone held their breath, Yoon Su-jeong unleashed a priceless insurance goal. The thunderous strike completed her hat trick and completely crushed Uzbekistan's hopes of a comeback. It was an incredible feat by a player making only her sixth senior international appearance, achieved on the razor's edge of an Asian Games quarterfinal. With four goals in the tournament, Yoon Su-jeong has suddenly entered the Golden Boot race.
After securing the victory, South Korea added a sixth goal in second-half stoppage time when Kim Min-ji (Seoul Metropolitan Government) capped the performance with a powerful header, sending the stadium into raptures.
Fueled by the dedication of veterans Ji So-yun and Jang Sel-gi, Choe Yu-ri's power, and the formidable new weapon of Yoon Su-jeong, Shin Sang-woo's side is now charging toward uncharted territory: the Asian Games final, a stage South Korean women's football has never reached.
Standing in their way is none other than their old rival, Japan. But there is no reason to be afraid. The national team now possesses the resilient mentality that kept it from collapsing in a frenzied shootout, along with explosive firepower.
Six celebratory blasts were fired into the sky over Osaka. What kind of drama will unfold in Shizuoka? The real advance of South Korea's women begins now.

[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter