Asian Games | China misses women's football podium after defeat to South Korea

Yuan Cong (C) of China competes during the women's 3rd place match of football between China and South Korea at 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Fukuroi of Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, Oct. 2, 2026. (Photo: Xinhua/Jia Haocheng)

SHIZUOKA, Japan, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- China lost 1-0 to South Korea in the women's football bronze medal match after conceding an early goal on Friday, finishing fourth at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

It was China's second-worst result in Asian Games history, better only than its fifth-place finish at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea. It was also the third time China has failed to win a medal in the event.

In the semifinals, China conceded twice from set pieces in a 2-0 loss to the DPR Korea, while South Korea also suffered a 2-0 defeat to Japan.

Just four minutes into Friday's bronze medal match, South Korea earned a free kick on the right. After a series of headers inside the box, Noh Jin-young headed the ball home to give South Korea an early lead.

Both teams struggled to establish control in a scrappy first half. China's best chance came in the 17th minute when Wang Yanwen won possession and crossed into the middle of the box, but Shao Ziqin's shot sailed over the crossbar.

After the break, China head coach Ante Milicic brought on forward Wurigumula to replace midfielder Wang Aifang in an attempt to increase the tempo and strengthen the attack.

In the 70th minute, Wang Shuang cut inside from the right and fired a shot that struck the crossbar. Six minutes later, Shao Ziqin played a diagonal ball behind the defense, sending Wurigumula through on goal, but the forward's shot went wide.

Milicic brought on tall forward Yuan Cong for Wurigumula in the 79th minute as China increasingly resorted to aerial attacks, but failed to create a clear-cut chance.

South Korea came close to doubling its lead in the 88th minute when its forward broke through for a one-on-one opportunity, but China's goalkeeper Xiao Zitong came off her line to avert the danger.

South Korea held on for a 1-0 victory.

China had 10 shots, three on target, and 46 percent possession, compared with South Korea's nine shots, two on target, and 54 percent possession.

Asked about China's repeated concessions from set pieces, Milicic blamed the quality of training, the players' defensive ability and luck.

"When a team concedes in the same way repeatedly, it is inevitable that the defense will become nervous. This has taught all of us a very good lesson about the importance of set pieces. At the same time, we created many chances but failed to turn them into goals," said Milicic.

"If you understand football, we absolutely shouldn't have lost this game. But we were punished by a set piece at the very beginning and failed to take our chances. That's football, and that's the frustrating part. We will learn from this and make sure the same mistakes don't happen again," he added.

Chinese captain Wu Haiyan said: "Failure to finish on the podium this time is a regret. I just told the younger players that I hope this can become a valuable experience for them, because the road ahead may be even tougher for them than it has been for us."