The first North Korean sports team to visit the South in eight years crowned their trip by winning the Asian Women’s Champions League, beating Japan’s Tokyo Verdy Beleza 1-0 in the final. Naegohyang Women’s FC lifted the trophy on Saturday thanks to captain Kim Kyong Yong’s goal just before half-time in the South Korean city of Suwon.
Women’s football is one of North Korea’s strongest international sports, with their national sides regularly competing at the highest levels in Asia and globally. Naegohyang’s win means they will appear in next year’s FIFA Women’s Champions Cup, which will feature teams from around the world.
Naegohyang, founded in 2012 and whose name means “My Hometown” in Korean, beat Suwon FC Women 2-1 in the semifinals earlier this week in a rare North-South match-up. The North Koreans edged Tokyo in a final that featured plenty of hard tackles but was played in a fair spirit. The players hugged each other at the final whistle, and coach Ri Yu Il sat on the bench and wept with joy.
Interest in Naegohyang’s visit to the South has been intense, and 7,087 general admission tickets for their semifinal against Suwon sold out within hours. Tickets for the final were still available shortly before kickoff, and swaths of empty seats could be seen in the stadium. There were no official Naegohyang supporters because North Koreans are generally not allowed into the South.
South Korean spectators, wearing sunglasses and caps under the sunny weather, beat traditional Korean drums while cheering for Naegohyang. About 3,000 spectators from civic groups backed by Seoul’s Ministry of Unification were expected. Cheong Wook-sik, director of South Korean NGO Peace Network, said the visit was “emotionally overwhelming for many of us.”
Choi Hyo-kwan, who is originally from the North, was attending the game at the age of 94. “I heard they were playing Japan today, so I came out to support them. Above all, I just hope everyone stays healthy, avoids injuries and goes all the way to victory,” he said.
Naegohyang and Tokyo had met earlier in the competition, with the Japanese side winning 4-0 in the first round in Myanmar. The final was a much closer affair, with Tokyo having the better of the first half until Naegohyang scored one minute before the interval. North Korea are 11th in the FIFA women’s world ranking, far above their men’s team, which is ranked 118th.
Source: www.aljazeera.com