Naegohyang Ladies’s FC beat Tokyo Verdy Beleza 1-0 amid uncommon go to to South Korea to play in match.
Revealed On 23 Might 2026
The primary North Korean sports activities crew to go to the South in eight years topped their journey by successful the Asian Ladies’s Champions League, beating Japan’s Tokyo Verdy Beleza 1-0 within the closing.
Naegohyang Ladies’s FC lifted the trophy on Saturday because of captain Kim Kyong Yong’s aim simply earlier than half-time within the South Korean metropolis of Suwon.
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Ladies’s soccer is one in all North Korea’s strongest worldwide sports activities, with their nationwide sides frequently competing on the highest ranges in Asia and globally.
Naegohyang’s win means they are going to seem in subsequent yr’s FIFA Ladies’s Champions Cup, which can function groups from world wide.
Naegohyang, based in 2012 and whose title means “My Hometown” in Korean, beat Suwon FC Ladies 2-1 within the semifinals on the identical Suwon stadium earlier this week in a rare North-South match-up.
The North Koreans edged Tokyo in a closing that featured loads of laborious tackles however was performed in a good spirit.
The gamers hugged one another on the closing whistle, and coach Ri Yu Il sat on the bench and wept with pleasure.
Curiosity in Naegohyang’s go to to the South has been intense, and seven,087 common admission tickets for his or her semifinal towards Suwon offered out inside hours.
Tickets for the ultimate had been nonetheless accessible shortly earlier than kickoff, and swaths of empty seats may very well be seen within the stadium.
There have been no official Naegohyang supporters as a result of North Koreans are typically not allowed into the South, and the 2 nations have technically remained at conflict since 1950.
South Korean spectators, carrying sun shades and caps beneath the sunny climate, beat conventional Korean drums whereas cheering for Naegohyang.
About 3,000 spectators from civic teams backed by Seoul’s Ministry of Unification had been anticipated.
‘Closest neighbours’
Cheong Wook-sik, director of South Korean NGO Peace Community, informed the AFP information company earlier than the sport that Naegohyang’s go to was “emotionally overwhelming for many people”.
“Now we have lengthy been the closest neighbours, but additionally essentially the most hostile in the direction of one another,” he stated.
“I hope these soccer occasions may help change that, even when it could sound too idealistic.”
Choi Hyo-kwan, who’s initially from the North, was attending the sport on the age of 94.
“I heard they had been taking part in Japan at the moment, so I got here out to help them,” he stated.
“Above all, I simply hope everybody stays wholesome, avoids accidents and goes all the best way to victory.”
Naegohyang and Tokyo had met earlier within the competitors, with the Japanese aspect successful 4-0 within the first spherical in Myanmar.
The ultimate was a a lot nearer affair, with Tokyo having the higher of the primary half till Naegohyang scored one minute earlier than the interval.
Jong Kum broke down the left after a fast counterattack, and he or she squared the ball for Kim to complete.
Tokyo pressed for an equaliser within the second half, however Naegohyang had been snug to absorb the strain and search for one other probability to interrupt ahead.
North Korea are eleventh within the FIFA girls’s world rating, far above their males’s crew, which is ranked 118th.
Tokyo had been seeking to change into Asian champions for the second time, having gained the Champions League’s forerunner competitors in 2019.
