SUWON, South Korea (AP) – Hundreds of South Koreans braved the rain to cheer on visitors to North Korea on Wednesday during a rare soccer match between the divided nations based in Pyongyang. Negohyan Women’s FC Despite political tensions, they defeated host country Suwon 2-1.
The win confirmed Naegohyang’s place in the next game in South Korea, Saturday’s final match, against Tokyo Verdy Beleza, who defeated Melbourne City 3-1 in the other semi-final of the Asian Football Confederation Women’s Champions League.
Choi Geum-ok, Naegohyang’s goal scorer, said, “I believed in the team’s strength. As long as everyone stays together, there will be no problem in the semifinals or the final.”
Athletes from North and South Korea have previously competed in joint teams and marched together at Olympic ceremonies during periods when the two countries’ ties have deepened. exchange Most of them have disappeared in recent years as rivalries soured over North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.
Naegohyang has been in the media spotlight since 39 players and staff arrived in South Korea on a flight from China on Sunday.
North Korea last sent a team of athletes to South Korea for a table tennis tournament in December 2018, as part of a brief diplomatic mission that included the participation of North Korean athletes and a high-level delegation at that year’s Winter Olympics in South Korea.
A brief period of easing tensions between North and South has since collapsed. US-led negotiations The issue over North Korea’s nuclear program collapsed in 2019 amid a dispute over international sanctions.
Since then, North Korea has conducted a series of weapons tests aimed at expanding its nuclear arsenal and rejected efforts by South Korea and the United States to revive diplomacy.
Hundreds of people attended the rain-soaked game
South Korea’s liberal government led by President Lee Jae-myung, which has been pushing for improved relations with North Korea, announced it would financially support civil society groups that were planning to improve relations with North Korea. 3,000 people cheering on both teams in Wednesday’s game.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether the rain-soaked game drew that many people, but at least a few hundred people wearing raincoats filled the stands, banging balloon sticks and chanting “negohyang” over the beat of drums, appearing particularly enthusiastic about the North Korean team.
Some held placards with messages such as “Welcome the Naegohyang Women’s FC Team.”
Naegohyang’s coach, Ri Yu-il, brushed aside questions about Korean supporters rooting for the team at a press conference on Tuesday, saying he and his players were focused on “tomorrow’s game and the games after that.”
North Korea is a powerhouse in women’s soccer and is the defending U-17 and U-20 World Cup champion. Li’s team defeated Suwon 3-0 in the Myanmar group stage in November, but Wednesday’s match was even closer, forcing the team to come from behind.
North Koreans gather
Naegohyang played aggressively from the start, putting pressure on Suwon’s defense with long passes and running to the sides, but struggled to finish and had an offside goal ruled out in the fourth minute.
As North Korea struggled to clear crosses into the box, Suwon fought back with home forward Haruhi Suzuki’s header hitting the post in the 21st minute.
Teammate Milena Barreto de Oliveira missed another chance in the 30th when her shot from close range hit the post.
In the 49th inning, Suzuki dove on a deflected ball inside the box and chipped the ball past Naegohyang goalkeeper Park Ju-kyung to give Suwon the lead.
Nae Go Hyang tied the score five minutes later with a header from a set piece by Choi Geum Ok, and in the 67th minute, Kim Kyung Young collected a high arching clearance from a Suwon defender to grab the winning point.
Suwon had a chance to tie the score in the 79th inning, but Ji So-yoon’s penalty shot missed the target.
Naegohyang will return to Suwon Sports Complex on Saturday for the finals.
—Kim reported from Seoul, South Korea. Associated Press reporter Kim Hyun-jin contributed from Seoul.
— AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
