Hat-Trick Hero Kim Min-ji: "I Want to Maintain This Condition and Contribute to a Gold Medal"

Midfielder Kim Min-ji exploded with a hat-trick in her opening stage performance, stepping up as a definitive solver for the South Korean women's national football team as they aim for their first-ever appearance in the Asian Games final.

Speaking to reporters in the mixed zone after the first match of Group F in the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games against Myanmar at the Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan, yesterday (the 14th), Kim shared her bold thoughts on her brisk start, saying, "I want to maintain this kind of condition and contribute to winning a gold medal."

On this day, South Korea decisively defeated Myanmar 5-0, a team led until recently by manager Colin Bell, who had directed the national team for about four years and eight months.

Manager Bell, who knows South Korean players well, locked down the goal with a "defensive solidity followed by counterattacks" strategy, but the "young blood" Kim Min-ji—who grew significantly while he was stepping down from the helm—quickly unlocked the defense.

In the 29th minute of the first half, Kim tricked a defender with a sensible body feint and unleashed an unhesitating shot to score the opening goal.

"I didn't score many goals for the national team, so I actually didn't expect to pull off a hat-trick like this today," Kim confessed. "After the first goal went in, I gained confidence, and after scoring the second, I secretly found myself wanting a hat-trick."

Building momentum with her opening goal, Kim planted a high-jumping header just four minutes later from a cross lifted by veteran Jang Seul-gi, and in the 14th minute of the second half, she sprinted quickly to finish another cutback from Jang Seul-gi to complete her hat-trick.

"Seeing that I was being prepared for a substitution from the bench, I thought it was my last chance," Kim said with a smile. "Fortunately, I capitalized on that opportunity to score my third goal and was able to leave the pitch with a light heart."


Having easily cleared the first hurdle, South Korea will play its second match against Bangladesh before facing North Korea in the final match, which will effectively decide the top spot in the group.

North Korea previously crushed Bangladesh 10-0 in an earlier match.

"North Korea definitely seems technically better than before," Kim forecasted. "The match against North Korea will ultimately be decided by a battle of grit and mental strength rather than a difference in skill."

Kim expressed her determination, saying, "We will thoroughly prepare for the remaining matches just like we did today and press forward toward our desired goal."
 
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.