AFC Women’s Asian Cup: Australia face South Korea for semis spot

Pune, January 29

Regional heavyweights and title contenders Australia and South Korea are set for an explosive match when they face off in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup quarterfinals here tomorrow.

For South Korea, a win will not only take them a step closer to winning the elusive Asian Cup title but also seal a berth at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Australia, already assured of their World Cup berth as co-hosts, will be looking to win the continental tournament for a second time after their 2010 triumph.

South Korea head coach Colin Bell is focused on getting the World Cup ticket and is confident his players will be ready for everything that Australia throw at them at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex.

“We’ve been trying to play an aggressive style ourselves,” said Bell. “When we’ve achieved it, we looked good. I reminded the girls before training that the last few weeks we got a draw against the world champions (United States) and a draw against the Asian champions (Japan), to give them confidence. We have a chance against every team if we adhere to the attributes that make us strong.”

With Chelsea star Sam Kerr leading a powerful frontline that scored 23 goals in the group stage, Australia will be a tremendous challenge. The Matildas dominated Group B with three wins but head coach Tony Gustavsson is expecting a very different match on Sunday. “We know this is a team that is going to cause some problems for us,” Gustavsson said. —