The Taeguk Ladies struggled to breach Myanmar’s sturdy defence in the first half at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex on Monday, but began finding more opportunities after Ji’s introduction in the 34th minute. Her influence on the pitch was clear, as she made a total of six shots - more than any of her teammates. 

“Before I went on, our team was having difficulties against Myanmar, who had basically 10 players behind the ball and defended very deep,” said Ji. “Furthermore, the Myanmar players were aggressive throughout the match. 

“It was a difficult game, and you can see how quickly the Asian teams are growing. Myanmar fought really well and gave a good performance, and I’m pleased with the result.”

Having qualified for the knockout stage, Korea Republic are now one step closer to the coveted title and one of the five spots in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. 

The Chelsea midfielder, however, understands that the real challenge lies ahead when they go up against two-time champions Japan to determine the group winners on Thursday. 

“As I’ve said before, we want to prepare match by match. Now that we have the three points and the last game in the group stage is against Japan, we obviously want to win the match and play in the quarter-finals as the top team from the group. 

“It’s been a long time since I played against them. Japan have always been a very difficult and good rival. 

“We came to the Asian Cup not only to grab the World Cup ticket, but to show our ability against teams like Japan, China PR and Australia. So I’m looking forward to the match.”