Women's Soccer Unable to Get Past Japan, First Final Appearance Denied; Bronze-Medal Match Against China [Nagoya AG]

[Financial News] The South Korea women's national football team, which was seeking its first-ever Asian Games final appearance, lost to formidable opponent Japan and was sent to the bronze-medal match.
The South Korea team, led by coach Shin Sang-woo, suffered a 0-2 defeat to Japan in the semifinal of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games at Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa in Fukuroi City, Shizuoka Prefecture, on the 29th.
South Korea, which won bronze medals in three consecutive editions—in Guangzhou in 2010, Incheon in 2014, and Jakarta-Palembang in 2018—was aiming for its best-ever result at this tournament but stumbled before the final. The team's winless streak against Japan since its 2-1 victory in the 2015 East Asian Cup also extended to 11 matches, consisting of four draws and seven losses.
In the match, played in rainy and unpleasant weather, South Korea started Choe Yu-ri up front and deployed Ji So-yun and others in the second line. Struggling against Japan's intense pressure early in the first half, South Korea had a one-on-one chance against the goalkeeper in the 32nd minute when Choe Yu-ri capitalized on a defensive mistake, but her shot went wide of the goal.
After a scoreless first half, South Korea brought on Son Hwa-yeon at the start of the second half to step up its attack. Instead, however, the team collapsed after conceding two goals in succession. In the ninth minute of the second half, Jina Kamiya headed home a cross delivered by Mami Ueno to give Japan the lead. In the 18th minute, Kamiya again scored with a long-range shot after capitalizing on a lapse in defensive coordination during a back-pass sequence, extending the lead to 0-2.
South Korea brought on Jeong Da-bin, Han Da-in, and others immediately after conceding, seeking a goal to cut the deficit, but it could not break through Japan's tight defensive wall.
Shin Sang-woo's side will face China at 3 p.m. on October 2 at the same venue for the Asian Games bronze medal, its first in eight years. China lost 0-2 to North Korea in the other semifinal held that day.
Meanwhile, host Japan, seeking a third consecutive title, will play North Korea at 7:30 p.m. on October 2 in the highly anticipated final. Both teams hold the record with three titles each, so the winner will become the tournament's sole most successful nation. 

[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter