Women's soccer coach Shin Sang-woo "This is my first game with coach Bell, I will not worry and will win."

(Nagoya = Yonhap News) Reporter Myeong-eon Oh = Coach Shin Sang-woo of the Korean women's national soccer team, who faces the former head coach as his opponent in the first group stage match of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, strengthened his resolve to win.

Coach Shin said at a press conference held a day before the first group match against Myanmar at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan on the 13th, "Coach Bell, who was in charge of the opposing team, has led Korea for a long time, but I am not overly concerned."

Myanmar, Korea's opponent in the first round, is led by coach Colin Bell, who was coach Shin's predecessor and led the Korean women's national team for four years and eight months.

Coach Bell, who was appointed as the first foreign head coach in Korean women's soccer history in 2019 and will remain in charge until 2024, is a person who has a good understanding of the characteristics and strengths and weaknesses of the national team players.

However, Coach Shin drew a line, saying, “The first game of the tournament is naturally the most difficult and has many variables,” and “There is nothing particularly burdensome just because Coach Bell is on the opposing bench.”

Coach Shin’s goal for this tournament is firm. He said emphatically, “I want to advance to the finals and change the color of the medal.”

Korea's women's soccer's best performance in Asian Games history is a bronze medal (Guangzhou 2010, Incheon 2014, Jakarta-Palembang 2018). In the previous 2023 Hangzhou Games, they packed up in the quarterfinals.

Coach Shin said, "It may be physically difficult for the players to complete a lot of league schedules before being called up, but they focused on controlling their condition. The players are also very passionate about changing the color of the medal, so the team atmosphere is very good."

The first hurdle to overcome in order to advance to the finals and win the championship for the first time in history is North Korea, the opponent in the final group stage match.

Coach Shin plans to use his experience of directly encountering North Korean players as a weapon during his team's schedule this year.

He expressed confidence, saying, “A large number of players who played in a club match against North Korea’s hometown soccer team in Suwon this year were called up to this national team. It is true that North Korea is a strong team, but there are always variables in short-term matches, so we are thoroughly preparing with the players.”