South Korea outclass Iran in Asian Women's Cup opener

GOLD COAST, Australia — South Korea went to the top of Pool A in the Women's Asian Cup after overcoming a dogged Iran 3-0 in their tournament opener on Queensland's Gold Coast on Monday. The Koreans, runners-up to China in the 2022 edition, totally dominated a brave but outclassed Iran, who showed no signs of being affected by the war raging at home, while some supporters waved shah-era flags. South Korea's Casey Phair, who came on as a second-half substitute, said her side had plenty of room for improvement. "We worked really hard and performed really well but we could have scored a few more goals and we missed a couple of chances," Phair said. "That's something we can work on in training but I think it was a really good starting point for the tournament." South Korea now head their pool on goal difference after Australia only managed a 1-0 win over the Philippines on Sunday. The Koreans dominated from the outset as Iran sat back in defence, trying to limit the damage rather than take the attack to their opponents. For most of the first half the tactic was successful despite the Koreans