Philippines vs Korea Republic
The Philippines and South Korea have started their 2023 Asian Games campaign on a high note, and both nations are keen to win at least one more game to ensure their passage to the quarter-finals, with limited spots up for grabs.
They were able to secure positive Asian Games 2023 results, as the Filipinas beat Hong Kong 3-1, while the Taeguk Ladies recorded a 3-0 victory against Myanmar.
However, only one of them can stay undefeated when they convene at the Wenzhou Sports Center Stadium on Monday night.
Read more below for the match preview, courtesy of SBOTOP.
Talking points
Filipinas need a more composed performance
The Philippines managed to get a 3-1 victory against Hong Kong, but it was considered an ugly win, although they would gladly take it.
Mark Torcaso, who took over as head coach following the departure of Alen Stajcic, went for an attack-heavy side in his first game in charge. And it worked, as Sarina Bolden, the lone scorer for the Filipinas in their first Women’s World Cup appearance, put the team up by one goal after nine minutes via a free-kick.
The Filipinas were searching for their second goal. However, they failed to convert on some clear-cut chances, and the complexion of the game changed when Hong Kong found the equaliser on a counterattack, courtesy of Wai Ki Cheung, during the 39th minute.
The Philippines were determined not to settle for a draw as they piled on the pressure on Hong Kong. However, Hong Kong almost took the lead when Eva Madarang’s tackle gave their opponents a late free-kick, which fortunately for the Philippines they failed to convert.
Not to be denied, after so many tries, the Filipinas finally did it when Quinley Quezada and Katrina Guillou found the back of the net during added time to put the game beyond doubt.
Overall, grinding out a result like this is a good first step for Mark Torcaso. Against South Korea, we won’t be surprised if he makes changes to his starting XI, although he should be able to retain his previous starters.
Ji So-Yun steadying the ship for South Korea
The Taeguk Ladies are considered one of the heavy favourites, as per the Asian Games 2023 odds, especially after watching them pummel Myanmar.
South Korea dominated possession from the get-go, as Myanmar were mostly content with playing in their own half.
After 14 minutes, Son Hwa-Yeon thought she had a goal, but the VAR determined that she was offside.
Not to be discouraged, South Korea continued to ramp up the pressure on Myanmar. And 10 minutes later, veteran midfielder Ji So-Yun teed up Eun-Young Lee for their first goal of the evening.
Ji So-Yun then scored a free-kick near the hour mark, while Jeon Eun-Ha added one more for good measure to stretch South Korea’s lead to three goals.
Ji So-Yun remains South Korea’s most important and established player. She holds the record for most goals scored by a South Korean, male or female, and she has the most caps with 144 and counting.
History
In their last two encounters before Monday, the Taeguk Ladies whacked the Filipinas with an aggregate tally of 7-0 in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup (5-0 in 2018 and 2-0 in 2022).
The 2018 game was the battle for fifth place, while the 2022 match was in the semi-finals, where South Korea went on to become runners-up in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.
The Filipinas and the Taeguk Ladies qualified for the Women’s World Cup two months ago, but both were unable to make it to the next round.
Even if they made noise in the Women’s World Cup with a historic win against New Zealand, the Philippines fell short in the group stage with only three points after losing against Switzerland and Norway, although South Korea did worse with only one point after losing two games and drawing once.
In the Asian Games, South Korea’s best finish is winning bronze in 2010, 2014, and 2018, while the Philippines are competing in this tournament for the first time in their history.
China are the winningest country here in the Asian Games with three golds (1990, 1994, and 1998), two silvers (2002 and 2018), and one bronze (2006), while the other two nations that have won golds here are North Korea (2002, 2006, and 2014) and Japan (2010 and 2018). Chinese Taipei are the fifth country to have won something in the Asian Games, taking home the bronze medal in 1994.
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