PAJU, South Korea, With South Korea gearing up for an East Asian women's football tournament this month, their top offensive weapon, Ji So-yun, doesn't want things to be easy.
On Wednesday, Ji and her 22 teammates opened training camp for the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Women's Football Championship, which will kick off July 19. The competition will feature South Korea, China, Chinese Taipei and the host country, Japan.
Japan will come in as the top-ranked nation in the tournament at No. 13, five spots above South Korea. In 32 all-time meetings, South Korea have managed just four wins against Japan, with 11 draws and 17 losses.
South Korea's quest for their first EAFF title since 2005 will begin on July 19 against Japan. The first match of any tournament is often considered the most important and taking on the title favorites from the get-go will add even more significance for South Korea.
And Ji wouldn't have it any other way.
"First games are tough for everyone, and I think Japan will find it difficult to play us in their first match too," Ji told reporters at the National Football Center in Paju, some 30 kilometers north of Seoul, after the first training session on the sweltering day,
"If we want to win this tournament, we'll have to beat Japan anyway," Ji said. "We might as well face them early. I actually think it's better for us to play them right away."
Their most recent head-to-head match came in January in the group stage at the Asian Football Confederation Women's Asian Cup. South Korea played Japan to a 1-1 draw and went on to finish runners-up to China for their best finish at the AFC event.
Ji, South Korea's all-time leading scorer, male or female, with 64 goals in 138 matches, said she was buoyed by that showing and added South Korea should be able to build on that performance.
"I've only finished in third place at the EAFF tournament before, and I've always been disappointed with that," said Ji, who recently wrapped up her English career with Chelsea and signed with Suwon FC Women in the domestic WK League. "We were really competitive at the Asian Cup, and I am really looking forward to this East Asian event."
Source: Yonhap News Agency