Korea Republic women’s national team fell short of winning the Asian Cup but still came away with their best result so far at the continental finals.

Bell’s side suffered a 3-2 defeat at the hands of China PR 2-0 at D.Y. Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Sunday. The Taegeuk Nangja took a two-goal lead through Choe Yuri and Ji Soyun before the interval, only to concede three goals in the second half.

Nevertheless, it was their best result at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup to date, with the third-place finish at the 2003 edition being their best record previously. The Chinese, for their part, claimed their ninth continental title following their successes in 1986, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999 and 2006.

Bell deployed exactly the same squad from the semi-finals: Son Hwayeon, Lee Geummin and Choe Yuri up front; central midfielders Cho Sohyun and Ji Soyun flanked by Choo Hyojoo and Kim Hyeri; Shim Seoyeon, Lim Seonjoo and Lee Youngju at the back; and goalkeeper Kim Jungmi.

The Steel Roses surged forward from the outset, with Tang Jiali testing Kim Jungmi with a right-footed shot in the first minute. With both sides struggling to seize control in midfield, the Chinese had the edge in terms of creating opportunities. Zhang Xin put Wang Shuang through on ten minutes, but Kim did well to smother the shot from the edge of the area.

Lee Geummin tried her luck with an audacious effort that went wide, but that was enough to turn the tide of the game midway through the first half. Korea Republic began to regroup and fight back, with Lee, Choe and Son piling the pressure up front to intercept the ball.

Their attack-minded approach paid dividends on 27 minutes. Kim Hyeri found Ji launching a swift counter, and the ball was passed on from Son to Lee Geummin on the right flank. Lee’s low cross into the goalmouth was then converted by an onrushing Choe, who made no mistake from close range to open her account in the tournament.

The Koreans kept up the pressure after taking the lead. Ji Soyun’s free-kick on the half-hour mark was connected with a glancing header by Son, but Zhu Yu managed to parry the ball away with a reflex save. Five minutes later, Cho saw her mid-range effort swerve away from the target, as the Korean kept the Chinese at bay with solid organisation across all departments.

And then there was another chance for Korea Republic to score on the stroke of half-time. Yao Lingwei was adjudged to touch the ball with her hand inside the area after a VAR review, before Ji converted the resulting penalty to double the advantage three minutes into stoppage time.

The Steel Roses made a double substitution during the interval as they came out strong into the second half to reduce the deficit. As the women in red tried their luck from distance, Zhang Linyan came off the bench to replace Wang Shuang on the hour mark. The Koreans maintained their possession to play a defensive game.

The match had an unexpected twist midway through the second half. The referee awarded a penalty following Lee Youngju’s handball on 66 minutes, before Tang Jiali pulled one back from the resulting spot-kick. It did not take long for the Chinese to draw level, as Zhang Linyan scored the equaliser with a powerful header off a looping cross from Tang.

Bell responded by bringing Jang Selgi on for Lee Youngju with eight minutes remaining to reinforce the attack. Ji Soyun saw her delicate effort sail just over the crossbar on 86 minutes. In the first minute of added time, Son’s pointblank volley was denied by Zhu before Lee latched onto the rebound to shoot straight at a Chinese defender.

With five minutes of stoppage time given, the battle intensified as both sides went out looking for their chances to grab the winner. And it was the Chinese that scored the crucial goal, Xiao Yuyi firing home following a neat through ball from Wang Shanshan into the right side of the area. The final whistle was blown shortly thereafter, although Korea Republic had come tantalisingly close to winning the Asian Cup for the first time.

AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022

Final

China PR 3-2 Korea Republic

Scorers: Choe Yuri 27’, Ji Soyun 45’+3; Tang Jiali 68’ (pen), Zhang Linyan 72’, Xiao Yuyi 90’+3

KOR: Kim Jungmi; Shim Seoyeon, Lim Seonjoo, Lee Youngju (Jang Selgi 82’); Choo Hyojoo, Cho Sohyun, Ji Soyun, Kim Hyeri; Son Hwayeon, Lee Geummin, Choe Yuri