North Korean women win rare match in South to reach final

North Korea’s first sports team to visit the South in eight years reached the Asian Women’s Champions League final on Wednesday as Naegohyang Women’s FC beat Suwon FC Women 2-1.

Naegohyang came from behind to defeat their rivals from the South amid torrential rain in Suwon, in a hard-fought semi-final played in a fair spirit without any major flashpoints.

Suwon captain Ji So-yun missed a penalty with just over 10 minutes to play.

The North Koreans will stay in the South for Saturday’s final, where they will take on Japan’s Tokyo Verdy Beleza at the same stadium.

Interest in the rare North-South semi-final was intense, and 7,087 general admission tickets sold out within hours of going on sale last week.

A woman in her 70s who gave her surname as Lee told AFP before kick-off that she lived nearby and attended the match “hoping to catch a glimpse of 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.

Bad weather meant half the seats in the roofless Suwon Sports Complex Stadium were empty.

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.

Suwon fans banged drums and chanted for their team.

“Regardless of whether the opposing team is from North Korea or any other country, we really hope we win, make it to the final, and show just how strong our women’s football team is,” said 29-year-old Suwon fan Kweon Yun-young.

There were no official away supporters because North Koreans are generally not allowed into the South, and the two countries have technically remained at war since 1950.

The two teams had met in the group stage earlier in the competition, with Naegohyang winning 3-0.

Former Chelsea midfielder Ji said Suwon were expecting the semi-final to be a tough physical battle and were ready to give as good as they got.

The action was fast and fair as both teams created early chances.

Naegohyang had a goal ruled out for offside in the fifth minute, and Suwon’s Japanese striker Haruhi Suzuki headed against the post midway through the first half.

Suzuki gave Suwon the lead in the 49th minute when she pounced on a chance with the Naegohyang defence hesitating.

The North Koreans equalised six minutes later when Choe Kum Ok headed home from a free-kick.

Prolific striker Kim Kyong Yong then gave Naegohyang the lead when she finished off a scrappy attack with a header in the 67th minute.

Suwon were awarded a penalty after a VAR review, but Ji hit her spot kick wide with the goalkeeper diving the wrong way.

Tokyo beat Australia’s Melbourne City 3-1 in the other semi-final earlier in the day.