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| Members of the Korean women's national football team train for the Asian Games at the National Football Center in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Sept. 18. Yonhap |
For a while, the Korean women's national football team felt they got the short end of the stick when it came to the draw at the Hangzhou Asian Games, with Japan, the best team in the continent, likely being their first knockout opponent.
However, following a change that even national team officials hadn't learned of until Monday afternoon, Korea will most likely avoid Japan until the gold medal match.
In the 16-nation competition in China, Korea will play out of Group E against Hong Kong, Myanmar and the Philippines. Japan, the defending champions, will face Vietnam, Nepal and Bangladesh. Both Korea and Japan are favored to win their groups.
In Hangzhou, groups have different numbers of teams: Three teams each in Groups A, B and C, and four apiece in Groups D and E. The five group winners and the three best runners-up will advance to the quarterfinals.
Initially, Group D and E winners were to face each other in the quarterfinals, while winners of Groups A, B and C were to take on runners-up from other groups.
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| Colin Bell, manager of the Korean women's national football team, watches his players during a training session at the National Football Center in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Sept. 18. Yonhap |
According to the tournament schedule available on the Asian Games website as of Monday afternoon, the knockout bracket had undergone changes. The Group E winner will either face the Group D runner-up or the Group C winner. And the Group D winner will play either the Group C winner or the Group E runner-up.
A Korea Football Association (KFA) official with the women's national team wasn't aware of the changes and said she was trying to confirm whether the Hangzhou organizing committee had notified the KFA of the latest bracket through some other channel.
In football tournaments, group winners don't typically face each other in their first knockout matches. When Korea opened their Asiad training camp on Sept. 5, head coach Colin Bell lamented his team's rotten luck, saying: "I don't understand how the winners of groups, when you carry on, play each other. The system is too complicated."
In the new bracket, Korea and Japan won't meet until the gold medal match if they both finish first in their groups and claim the first two knockout contests.
Japan won silver in 2014 and gold in 2010. Korea won three straight bronze medals from 2010 to 2018, and will try to grab gold for the first time.
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| Ji So-yun, left, and Lee Min-a of the Korean women's national football team train for the Asian Games at the National Football Center in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Sept. 18. Yonhap |
Japan, world No. 8, have long had Korea's number. Currently ranked 20th, Korea have posted only four wins against Japan in 33 meetings, with 11 draws and 18 losses. Their most recent victory over Nadeshiko came in August 2015.
Speaking to reporters earlier Monday, Korean midfielder Ji So-yun said she was bracing for a quarterfinal showdown against Japan.
"Even if Japan won't have all of their overseas-based players, they won't be a pushover at all," Ji said, also not aware of the new bracket. "They have such a deep pool of talent, and their domestic league players will still be a force."
Ji is one of many players returning from the national team that took an early exit from the group stage at the FIFA Women's World Cup in August. Despite carrying heightened expectations, Korea had one draw and two losses in Australia.
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| Members of the Korean women's national football team train for the Asian Games at the National Football Center in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Sept. 18. Yonhap |
"I know our fans must have been disappointed with our results at the World Cup, but we have to keep moving forward," Ji said. "We didn't accomplish our goal at the World Cup, and we learned our lessons there. I hope everyone at the Asian Games will play every match with a great sense of urgency."
Ji was a member of all three bronze medal teams over the past three Asian Games. (Yonhap)
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