Uzbekistan Falls to Korea in AFC Women’s Asian Cup QF

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The Uzbekistan women’s national team suffered a 0–6 defeat against the Republic of Korea in the quarterfinals of the 2026 AFC Women's Asian Cup held in Australia. The match took place at Stadium Australia.

Despite the loss, Uzbekistan still has a chance to qualify for the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup. The team will continue in the tournament and fight for a spot through an additional playoff round. In the next match, the Central Asian side will face the losing team from the quarterfinal clash between Japan and the Philippines.

Head coach Kotryna Kulbite made a surprising decision in the starting lineup, leaving forwards Nilufar Kudratova, Diyorakhon Khabibullaeva and Lyudmila Karachik on the bench. On the Korean side, head coach Shin Sang-woo reinstated midfielder Kim Shin-ji to the starting lineup but was forced to make a late change, replacing forward Jeong Yu-gyeong with Son Hwa-yeon shortly before kickoff.

South Korea started the match aggressively and opened the scoring in the ninth minute. Son Hwa-yeon finished a pass from Choi Yu-ri, and her low shot, deflected off Dilrabo Asadova, looped over Uzbekistan goalkeeper Maftuna Jonimkulova into the net.

In the 19th minute Jonimkulova managed to stop a header from Son Hwa-yeon following a cross by Choi Yu-ri, but the Korean side soon doubled their advantage. Ko Yu-jin scored with a precise long-range strike into the top corner. Before halftime, South Korea continued to create dangerous chances: Son Hwa-yeon hit the crossbar, while Jonimkulova barely pushed Chan Seol-gi’s powerful effort onto the frame of the goal.

The second half saw the Korean team extend their dominance. In the 57th minute, after a corner delivered by Jeong Min-yeong, Jonimkulova punched the ball away, but it fell to Park Su-jeong, who fired it into the net.

The fourth goal came in the 72nd minute after Zarina Mamatkarimova lost possession near the penalty area, allowing Ji So-yun to finish a quick combination with a low shot into the corner.

Minutes later, Ji So-yun set up Kang Chae-rim for a shot. Jonimkulova saved the attempt, but Lee Eun-young reacted first to the rebound and scored.

The final goal came in stoppage time after Lee Eun-young was fouled in the penalty area by Rukhshona Usarova. The referee awarded a penalty, which Chan Seol-gi confidently converted.

The victory secured South Korea a place in the semifinals of the tournament and qualification for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil. Uzbekistan will continue competing for a World Cup berth through the additional playoff round.