North Korea women reach final after rare match in South Korea

North Korea’s first sports team to visit South Korea in eight years has reached the Asian Women’s Champions League final after Naegohyang Women’s FC defeated Suwon FC Women 2-1 on Wednesday, News.Az reports, citing AFP.

Naegohyang came from behind to overcome their South Korean rivals in Suwon amid torrential rain, in a closely contested semi-final played in a fair atmosphere with no major incidents.

Suwon FC captain Ji So-yun missed a penalty with just over 10 minutes remaining, a key moment in the match.

At full-time, Naegohyang players hugged and wept in celebration, while Suwon players collapsed to the pitch in disappointment.

“We believed in our team’s ability,” said Naegohyang’s Choe Kum Ok, who scored the equaliser in the second half.

“If all of us stay united, neither the semi-final or final will be a problem for us,” she added.

Naegohyang will remain in South Korea for Saturday’s final, where they will face Japan’s Tokyo Verdy Beleza at the same stadium.

“Every player’s role is important, but things didn’t go well for us in the first half,” Choe said. “Once we got into the second half, we found our rhythm and I think the game flowed much better for us.”

Interest in the rare North-South fixture was strong, with 7,087 general admission tickets selling out within hours last week.

A spectator in her 70s, identified by her surname Lee, said she attended the match hoping to see the North Korean players.

“I’ll cheer for both teams, although I’m rooting slightly more for the North since they travelled such a long way to get here,” she said.

Heavy rain left many seats empty at the roofless Suwon Sports Complex Stadium.

A group of spectators from civic organisations backed by Seoul’s unification ministry also attended, though they remained largely quiet during the match.

News.Az 

By Nijat Babayev