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Tournament Performance
Comparison of final match results
Primary Sources
North Korean side Naegohyang wins in South Korea to reach Asian Women's ...
A team of North Korean footballers who made history by crossing the border into South Korea earned a victory to take them into the Asian Women's Champions League final.Naegohyang won 2-1 in their semi-final against South Korea's Suwon - with emotional scenes at the final whistle, as several of the victorious players sobbed with joy.The match marked the first time athletes from the north have visited the south since 2018.Second-half goals from Choe Kum-ok and Kim Kyong-yong won the game, following Haruhi Suzuki's 49th-minute opener for Suwon, and sent Naegohyang to the final in their first year in the competition.Suwon were awarded a penalty late in the semi-final after a video assistant referee review, but former Chelsea captain Ji So-yun put her effort wide."We believed in our team's ability," said Naegohyang's Choe."Every player's role is important, but things didn't go well for us in the first half."Once we got into the second half, we found our rhythm and I think the game flowed much better for us."North Korean athletes had not crossed the border since the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics eight years ago, when they formed a unified ice hockey team for the first time.Officially, there were no away supporters at Wednesday's game - which sold out within hours last week - because of travel restrictions between the North and South.A large group of spectators from civic groups backed by Seoul's unification ministry were in the stadium to support both teams, although they were mostly silent.South Korea's Unification Minister Chund Dong-young said the game would set a "positive precedent" for inter-Korean relations.The two Koreas are technically still at war after failing to sign a peace treaty when the Korean War ended in 1953.Attempts have been made to improve relations since, but ties between the two countries have deteriorated in recent years, with North Korea labelling South Korea its "most hostile state" and saying it would no longer seek reunification.South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, however, is seeking to improve ties.Naegohyang's 27 players and 12 staff members will stay in the South for the final on Saturday, 23 May, against Japan's Tokyo Verdy Beleza at the same stadium.
North Korean team wins Asian Women's Champions League soccer ...
1 / 5 (The Associated Press)North Korea’s Naegohyang FC defeated Tokyo Verdy Beleza 1-0 to win soccer's Asian Women’s Champions League on Saturday in the South Korean city of Suwon.Kim Kyong Yong scored the only goal of the game, her fourth of the tournament, just before halftime.AdvertisementThe North Korean international forward, who also scored the winning goal in the semifinal win over South Korea’s Suwon FC on Wednesday, shot home from inside the area after receiving the ball from Kim Jung who broke free of the Japanese defense.Watched by a sparse crowd at Suwon Sports Complex, just south of Seoul, the team from Pyongyang had more chances than Tokyo in what was a tight game and deserved to win just the second edition of the 12-team continental tournament, following Wuhan Jiangda’s triumph a year earlier.The triumph continues unprecedented success for North Korea in women’s soccer. In 2024, the national team won both the U-20 and U-17 World Cups, and successfully defended the latter in 2025.AdvertisementAt a continental level, North Korea won the 2024 Women’s Asian Cup and the 2024 and 2026 U-17 tournament.“We don’t have enough time to explain the evolution of our national football programs,” Naegohyang head coach Ri Yu Il said prior to the final.“We have a specialized player development system. Players are well-trained from a young age and as they grow older, they contribute to good performances at AFC or FIFA competitions.”___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccerJohn Duerden, The Associated Press
North Korean women's team win Asian Champions League title in ...
Naegohyang Women’s FC beat Tokyo Verdy Beleza 1-0 amid rare visit to South Korea to play in tournament.The first North Korean sports team to visit the South in eight years crowned their trip by winning the Asian Women’s Champions League, beating Japan’s Tokyo Verdy Beleza 1-0 in the final.Naegohyang Women’s FC lifted the trophy on Saturday thanks to captain Kim Kyong Yong’s goal just before half-time in the South Korean city of Suwon.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Who are the star players missing out on the 2026 World Cup?list 2 of 4Five key talking points for the Premier League season finalelist 3 of 4From Palestine to Catalonia, Guardiola believed in more than just footballlist 4 of 4US says DRC team must isolate due to Ebola before arriving for World Cupend of listWomen’s football is one of North Korea’s strongest international sports, with their national sides regularly competing at the highest levels in Asia and globally.Naegohyang’s win means they will appear in next year’s FIFA Women’s Champions Cup, which will feature teams from around the world.Naegohyang, founded in 2012 and whose name means “My Hometown” in Korean, beat Suwon FC Women 2-1 in the semifinals at the same Suwon stadium earlier this week in a rare North-South match-up.The North Koreans edged Tokyo in a final that featured plenty of hard tackles but was played in a fair spirit.The players hugged each other at the final whistle, and coach Ri Yu Il sat on the bench and wept with joy. Interest in Naegohyang’s visit to the South has been intense, and 7,087 general admission tickets for their semifinal against Suwon sold out within hours.Tickets for the final were still available shortly before kickoff, and swaths of empty seats could be seen in the stadium.There were no official Naegohyang supporters because North Koreans are generally not allowed into the South, and the two countries have technically remained at war since 1950.South Korean spectators, wearing sunglasses and caps under the sunny weather, beat traditional Korean drums while cheering for Naegohyang.About 3,000 spectators from civic groups backed by Seoul’s Ministry of Unification were expected. ‘Closest neighbours’Cheong Wook-sik, director of South Korean NGO Peace Network, told the AFP news agency before the game that Naegohyang’s visit was “emotionally overwhelming for many of us”.“We have long been the closest neighbours, yet also the most hostile towards each other,” he said.“I hope these football events ...
North Korean team wins Asian Women's Champions League soccer title
North Korea’s Naegohyang FC defeated Tokyo Verdy Beleza 1-0 to win soccer’s Asian Women’s Champions League on Saturday in the South Korean city of Suwon.Kim Kyong Yong scored the only goal of the game, her fourth of the tournament, just before halftime.The North Korean international forward, who also scored the winning goal in the semifinal win over South Korea’s Suwon FC on Wednesday, shot home from inside the area after receiving the ball from Kim Jung who broke free of the Japanese defense.Watched by a sparse crowd at Suwon Sports Complex, just south of Seoul, the team from Pyongyang had more chances than Tokyo in what was a tight game and deserved to win just the second edition of the 12-team continental tournament, following Wuhan Jiangda’s triumph a year earlier.The triumph continues unprecedented success for North Korea in women’s soccer. In 2024, the national team won both the U-20 and U-17 World Cups, and successfully defended the latter in 2025. At a continental level, North Korea won the 2024 Women’s Asian Cup and the 2024 and 2026 U-17 tournament.“We don’t have enough time to explain the evolution of our national football programs,” Naegohyang head coach Ri Yu Il said prior to the final.“We have a specialized player development system. Players are well-trained from a young age and as they grow older, they contribute to good performances at AFC or FIFA competitions.”___AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
