North Korea's Naegohyang Women FC defeated Suwon FC Women 2-1 in the semifinal of the Asian Women's Champions League in Suwon, South Korea, marking the first visit by a North Korean sports team to the South in eight years.

The match was played in torrential rain and fair spirit. Suwon captain Ji So-yun missed a penalty with just over 10 minutes to play. The North Koreans hugged and wept at full-time as Suwon players slumped to the turf.

Naegohyang's Choe Kum Ok, who scored the equalizer, said: "We believed in our team's ability. If all of us stay united, neither the semifinal nor final will be a problem for us."

The North Koreans will stay in the South for Saturday's final against Japan's Tokyo Verdy Beleza. Interest was intense: 7,087 general admission tickets sold out within hours, but bad weather left half the seats empty at the roofless stadium.

A large group of spectators from civic groups backed by Seoul's unification ministry supported both teams, mostly in silence. One spectator said: "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."

Source: www.aljazeera.com