
March 2 (Reuters) - South Korea began their Women's Asian Cup campaign with a 3-0 victory over Iran on Monday, with Choe Yu-ri, Kim Hye-ri and Ko Yoo-jin all scoring to light up their Group A encounter on the Gold Coast.
South Korea dominated possession in the opening half but were unable to take their early opportunities as Iran - playing despite heightened tensions back home after the United States and Israeli air strikes at the weekend - defended strongly.
But the 2022 runners-up took advantage when Iran were a player down temporarily following an injury to Afsaneh Chatrenoor and Choe latched onto a rebound off the post to fire the ball into the net after 37 minutes.
The Koreans ramped up the pressure in the second half and Kim slotted home a penalty shortly before the hour mark following a foul on Lee Eun-young before Ko headed in their third of the night after 75 minutes to complete the win.