PALEMBANG, Indonesia, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Japan defeated South Korea 2-1 in the semifinal of the 2018 Asian Games women's football tournament at the Jakabaring Sport City (JSC) football stadium on Tuesday, with either China or Chinese Taipei lying in wait in the final.
An early goal from Yuika Sugasawa set Japan on their way, although South Korea equalized midway through the second half through midfielder Lee Min-a. However, an own goal by South Korea's Lim Seon-joo in 86th minute proved decisive and sealed the game for Japan.
Afterwards, Japan's head coach Asako Takakura spoke of the challenge she had been expecting her players to face. "Before the match I knew it would be very tough game. After scoring the goal, we thought the rest of the game would be easy, but it was not. South Korea's players came back very strongly."
"We are honored to win this semifinal. Thank you to my players, who never gave up," she added.
Commenting on a possible clash with China in the final, Takakura said that China are a very strong team, noting that they had beaten defending Asian Games champions the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the group stage.
"We have yet to see the results of the other semifinal. But our players now have two days for recovery, and we will show you the Japanese style of playing in the final," Takakura promised.
The women's football final is scheduled to take place on Friday evening, and will be preceded earlier in the day by the third-place playoff.
