Women's football club from the DPRK wins Asian championship in South Korea
Kyiv • UNN
The Naegohyang club from the DPRK won the AFC Women's Champions League, defeating a Japanese team in Suwon. The victory allowed the players to qualify for the FIFA Women's Club World Cup.
The first North Korean sports team to visit South Korea in eight years declared its readiness to conquer the world after winning the AFC Women's Champions League on Saturday, UNN reports, citing AFP.
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The women's football club "Naegohyang" defeated Japan's "Tokyo Verdy Beleza" 1-0 in the final in the South Korean city of Suwon, thanks to a goal by captain Kim Kyong-yong shortly before halftime.
Naegohyang's victory means they will participate in next year's FIFA Women's Club World Cup, which features champions from all six continental confederations, with the final four matches to be held in Miami.
Women's football is one of the strongest international sports for diplomatically isolated and impoverished North Korea, whose national teams regularly compete at the highest level in Asia and worldwide.
Naegohyang coach Ri Yu-il thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for his "warm love, care, and trust," before expressing hope for future matches against the world's best teams.
North Korea is ranked 11th in the FIFA Women's World Ranking, significantly higher than the men's national team, which is ranked 118th.