(LEAD) (Asiad) S. Korea, N. Korea draw 1-1 in women's football at Asian Games

(ATTN: ADDS more info, comments in paras 6, 12-18, new photo)
By Kim Boram

FUKUROI, Japan, Sept. 21 (Yonhap) -- An inter-Korean match in women's football at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games ended in a draw on Monday, with South Korea finishing second in Group F.

South Korea and North Korea tied 1-1 in the final Group F preliminary-round match at Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa in Fukuroi, some 104 kilometer east of the main host city Nagoya.

With two wins and one draw apiece, North Korea topped Group F with a plus-18 goal difference, while South Korea finished second with a plus-11 goal difference.

Before Monday's match, both Korean teams had already secured berths in the quarterfinals with two wins each.

At the Asian Games, 12 teams are divided into three groups, with the top two teams from each group and the two best-performing third-place teams advancing to the quarterfinals.

South Korea will face Uzbekistan, the runner-up in Group G behind China, in the semifinals in Osaka scheduled for Friday.

The two Koreas exchanged several chances inside the box during the first 30 minutes but failed to score.

In the 36th minute, North Korea took the lead. Chae Un-yong received the ball from Jon Ryong-jong's corner and struck it toward the goal with a quick touch.

A few minutes later, Jon had a one-on-one chance on the left side, but her shot went wide.

Right after the start of the second half, South Korea leveled the match at 1-1. Choi Yu-ri sent the ball to Yun Su-jeong, who dashed through the center of the box and slid to shoot the ball into the net.

The two teams exchanged several more shots, but neither could find a winning goal.

With the goal, Yun, 24, made her presence felt in just her fifth appearance for the national team.

With South Korea trailing 1-0, she came on at the start of the second half, replacing Hyun Seul-gi, and quickly showed that the substitution had paid off.

Yun became the first South Korean player to score against North Korea, one of Asia's powerhouses in women's football, since April 2017, when South Korea drew 1-1 with the North at the AFC Women's Asian Cup.

South Korea's head-to-head record against North Korea now stands at one win, 16 losses and five draws. Its only victory came in August 2005.

"Right after I came into the game, Yu-ri gave me the ball perfectly," she said. "She gave me the ball based on the way I moved, which led to smooth touches and eventually to the goal."

Head coach Shin Sang-woo said Yun was the player he believed could help turn the game around.

"We conceded a goal in the first half, so we needed a change to come back," Shin said. "Yun had shown good form, so I chose her to help turn the game around."