PALEMBANG, Aug. 16 -- South Korea won the first match of the 2018 Asian Games women's football qualification round against Chinese Taipei by a score of 2-1 here on Thursday.
South Korea took the lead in the 8th minute through Jeon Ga-eul, and Jang Sel-gi made it 2-0 early in the second half. Though Yu Hsiu-chin pulled a goal back in the 74th minute, Chinese Taipei was unable to find an equalizer.
"It was a tough match. South Korea is a strong team, but we still had some chances in the match," said Chinese Taipei coach Horino Hiroyuki after the game. "Our next game is against hosts Indonesia, and as they are playing at home, I think it will be another tough match for us."
South Korea's women took third place in the football competition at the 2017 Incheon Asian Games, behind winners the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and runners-up Japan.
In this year's competition, South Korea is grouped with Indonesia, Maldives and Chinese Taipei in Group A. Group B consists of China, DPRK, Hong Kong and Tajikistan, while Group C includes Japan, Vietnam and Thailand.
China's next match is against Hong Kong on Friday.