The South Korean national team, led by head coach Shin Sang-woo, secured the bronze medal by defeating China 1-0 in the bronze medal match of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa on October 2.

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Coach Shin began by saying, "Although we didn't achieve our ultimate target set coming into the Asian Games, I am grateful to the players for earning a precious medal in the third-place playoff."

He analyzed, "I think the players became more nervous because the opening goal came a bit too early. As a result, our precision dropped and we couldn't capitalize on second or third goals, but we did our utmost until the end to keep a clean sheet and maintained that atmosphere until the final whistle to win the medal."

Team Shin had aimed for the nation's first-ever appearance in the tournament final, but missed out on that goal after falling 0-2 to Japan in the semifinals on September 29, dropping them to the bronze medal match.

However, by defeating China, South Korea secured its fourth bronze medal overall—and its first in eight years—following previous podium finishes at the 2010 Guangzhou, 2014 Incheon, and 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games.

With the tournament now wrapped up, Coach Shin also shared his plans looking ahead to next year's Women's World Cup.

He emphasized, "Ironically, the biggest takeaway was getting to play against all of Asia's powerhouse teams during this Asian Games. We need the fighting spirit to compete like we did today no matter who we face, and we will continue to supplement our precision and organizational aspects moving forward."

He added, "The three weeks went by as quickly as three days. While I do have some regrets that we couldn't show a slightly better performance against Japan in the semifinals, I want to once again express my gratitude to the players who fought hard and never gave up until the very end."

Noh Jin-young, the scorer of the winning goal on this day, shared her thoughts: "Even though it was a tough match, I am so happy to return to Korea with the bronze medal. We may not have made it to the final, but this is the result of all our teammates uniting as one and working hard for that single bronze medal."

Noh claimed the opening goal just four minutes into the first half.

Following a free kick, she sprinted toward a ball floated by Choe Yuri with a back header and finished it cleanly with a header of her own.

Recalling the moment, she noted, "Since Chinese players are tall, we practiced focusing on second balls yesterday. When I saw Yuri unni heading it from the front, my body just seemed to react on its own."

Noh projected that this medal will serve as a major asset in preparing for next year's World Cup.

She vowed, "Honestly, since we came here aiming for the gold medal, the bronze is a bit bittersweet, but it is a valuable outcome achieved by doing our absolute best under the circumstances. Having gained a lot of confidence through this tournament, I want to keep this good momentum going all the way to next year's World Cup."
 
(Photo: Yonhap News)