(Asiad) Women's football coach not feeling pressure ahead of match vs. predecessor

NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 13 (Yonhap) -- The head coach of the South Korean women's national football team said Sunday he feels no pressure going into an Asian Games showdown against his predecessor.

Shin Sang-woo's South Korea will open their Group F play in the women's football tournament against Myanmar at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, some 140 kilometers west of the main host city Nagoya

Colin Bell, who coached South Korea from 2019 to 2024, is now in charge of Myanmar. He coached several of the current South Korean players, and such familiarity could help Myanmar, who have never beaten South Korea in seven previous meetings.

Asked at a prematch press conference Sunday about the prospect of taking on the man he replaced, Shin said he is solely focused on bringing home the gold medal.

"At every tournament, the first match is always the most difficult one," Shin said in Osaka. "Just because coach Bell is on the other bench, it doesn't put any extra pressure on us."

South Korea have not won an Asian Games gold in women's football, with three straight bronze medals, in 2010, 2014 and 2018, in their collection instead. That streak ended at the 2023 competition in Hangzhou, China, where South Korea were eliminated in the quarterfinals.

"Our players are really motivated to grab a medal of a different color this time. The vibe here is incredible," Shin said. "They played a lot of matches for their clubs before joining the national team, so this must be physically taxing for them. So we have been trying to get them ready the best we can."

After Myanmar, South Korea will play Bangladesh at 4 p.m. Thursday and then North Korea at 4 p.m. on Sept. 21 -- likely with the top spot in the group at stake.

South Korea have only one win in 21 meetings against North Korea, with four draws and 16 losses.

Shin's squad features six players of Suwon FC Women, a WK League club that faced North Korea's Naegohyang Women's FC in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation Women's Champions League south of the border in May.

"We know North Korea are a strong team, but in a short tournament, there are always variables," Shin said. "Our players and our staff are trying to get ready the best we can."