North Korean women win in South to reach Asian Champions League final

Naegohyang Women’s FC record a historic 2-1 win over Suwon FC Women on a rare trip to South Korea, where they will face Tokyo Verdy Beleza in the final. Click here to share on social media North Korea’s first sport team to visit the South in eight years has reached the Asian Women’s Champions League final with Naegohyang Women FC’s 2-1 win over Suwon FC Women. Naegohyang came from behind to defeat their rivals from the South amid torrential rain in Suwon on Wednesday, in a hard-fought semifinal played in a fair spirit without any major flashpoints. Suwon captain Ji So-yun missed a penalty with just more than 10 minutes to play. The North Koreans hugged each other and wept at the full-time whistle as the Suwon players slumped to the turf. “We believed in our team’s ability,” said Naegohyang’s Choe Kum Ok, who scored her team’s equaliser in the second half. “If all of us stay united, neither the semifinal or final will be a problem for us.” 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. “Every player’s role is important, but things didn’t go well for us in the first half,” said Choe. “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 semifinal was intense, and 7,087 general admission tickets sold out within hours of going on sale last week. However, bad weather meant half the seats in the roofless Suwon Sports Complex Stadium were empty. ‘Travelled such a long way’ 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. “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,” Lee, a woman at the match told the AFP news agency. 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. The two teams had met in the group stage earlier in the competition, with Naegohyang winning 3-0. Chelsea midfielder Ji said Suwon were expecting the semifinal 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 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 semifinal earlier in the day.