AFC Women's Asian Cup - Shin hails Korea Republic stalwart Ji

Sydney: Shin Sang-woo showered praise on experienced midfielder Ji So-yun after her excellent display propelled Korea Republic into the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026™ semi-finals on Saturday.

The evergreen Ji ran the show as the East Asian side powered to a 6-0 win against Uzbekistan in their quarter-final tie at Stadium Australia, with the victory also confirming their ticket to the FIFA Women’s World Cup Brazil 2027.

The 35-year-old capped her performance with a wonderful goal following a flowing team move in the 72nd minute.

#WAC2026 | Quarter-final: Korea Republic 6-0 Uzbekistan

“Ji So-yun is definitely a star player with so much experience,” extolled Shin.

“I wanted her to lead for 90 minutes and she was perfect for that role and her play was crucial to us scoring a lot of goals.”

The tactician, however, admitted he was taken aback by Uzbekistan’s starting line-up but was determined to ensure that his charges remained fully focused on their game plan.

“It’s true I was a little surprised but we were still not able to predict what could happen so we concentrated on playing our football."

“We recovered well after the last match and we also prepared well and the result showed that.

“We play as one team - whether on or off the pitch. We scored a lot of goals, so we are happy with the outcome.”

Korea Republic, seeking to win the title for the first time, will next take on either Japan or Philippines in the semi-finals on Wednesday.

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