After two games, they’re the first to book a quarterfinal spot, but they’re not done yet. The Korean women’s soccer team’s quest for their first ever Asian Games gold medal is just beginning. There are still mountains to climb.

Head coach Colleen Bell’s Korean women’s football team rode a hat-trick from Son Hwa-yeon (Hyundai Steel) to a 5-1 victory over the Philippines in their second Group E match of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games on Friday at the Wenzhou Sports Center Stadium in Zhejiang Province, China. With the two wins over Myanmar and now the Philippines, South Korea has clinched a spot in the quarterfinals atop the group regardless of the outcome of their final group game against Hong Kong. If Korea loses to Hong Kong and whoever wins the Philippines-Myanmar match, it will be tied at 2-2-1, but Korea will have the winner-take-all advantage.

But even though they’ve advanced to the quarterfinals, they can’t rest on their laurels just yet. First and foremost, the quarterfinal opponent has yet to be determined.

South Korea’s quarterfinal opponent will either be Group C’s top seed or Group D’s second seed. In Group D, Japan will almost certainly finish first and Vietnam second. In contrast, North Korea is all but assured of topping Group C. This means that South Korea could, at worst, accept the burden of a “North-South” matchup in the quarterfinals. The title alone is daunting, and North Korea is one of Asia’s top women’s soccer powers, so there’s no guarantee of victory. 메이저사이트

Add to that the fact that they have to play three group games before the quarterfinals, and you have a recipe for fatigue. The women’s soccer competition at the Asian Games has five groups, from A to E. Of these, only Group D (Japan) and Group E (South Korea) have four teams, which means they have to play three group games. The other three groups, A, B, and C, have more leeway, with each team only having to play two group games.

The current bracket has China and Japan, the favorites to win the gold medal, meeting in the quarterfinals. In other words, if Korea can get off to a good start, it’s not out of the question for them to advance beyond the quarterfinals and reach their first-ever Asian Games final. It would also be the best Asian Games result for Korean women’s soccer. The real fun begins now.