November 4 – As achievements go on the world soccer stage, it was mighty spectacular particularly given their post-Covid historical past.
North Korea sealed a landmark third under-17 girls’s World Cup on Sunday, upsetting favourites Spain 4-3 on penalties after a 1-1 draw on the Estadio Olímpico Félix Sánchez within the Dominican Republic capital of Santo Domingo on Sunday.
Their victory marks the second time in historical past that the DPR have secured each the ladies’s U-20 and U-17 world titles in the identical yr, having defeated conventional rivals Japan in Bogotá two months in the past within the u-20 last.
Paying tribute to the Koreans, Asian Soccer Confederation (AFC) President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa commented: “DPR Korea have been extraordinary within the Dominican Republic and their tenacity and distinctive teamwork is certainly a tribute to the world-class gamers on the pitch and the tireless efforts of everybody working behind the scenes.
“The dedication of the DPR Korea Soccer Affiliation to ascertain a constant and dynamic pipeline of future stars have to be applauded and we congratulate them, not solely on this triumph, but additionally on being the one member affiliation in world soccer to repeat the feat of capturing back-to-back girls’s age-group titles in the identical yr.
“The AFC’s Imaginative and prescient and Mission of making certain our groups succeed on the largest phases and the achievements of our girls’s groups are testomony to our ambitions coming to life. I’m assured that DPR Korea’s shining instance will function an inspiration for others to emulate.”
North Korea’s run within the Caribbean noticed them rating 14 targets and concede simply twice in six matches with Jon Il Chong, who scored the all-important equaliser in opposition to Spain within the last, clinching the coveted Golden Ball accolade.
After falling behind to Celia Segura’s tap-in, North Korea equalised nearly instantly to pressure penalties in entrance of a crowd of 18,410. Nonetheless it was their goalkeeper Pak Ju-gyong who excelled within the last, pulling off a string of saves together with one within the shoot-out
North Korea’s win cements their standing as a powerhouse in girls’s youth soccer.
“We’re proud to beat the perfect European group to turn into the perfect group on the planet,” mentioned DPR Korea head coach Track Sung-gwon whose nation received the inaugural under-17 competitors in 2008 and repeated the feat eight years later. “We had been in a position to win due to our unity. We discovered as soon as once more that if we combat collectively as one, profitable is inevitable.”
North Korea’s success was all of the extra eye-catching given the nation’s post-Covid coverage of isolation, plus the truth that on the 2011 match 5 of their gamers failed doping assessments and the nation was banned from getting into the next World Cup.
Following the Covid pandemic, North Korea barred its gamers from competing internationally for over 4 years which led to the ladies’s group dropping its FIFA world rating. Whether or not success at U17 degree can now result in qualification for the senior competitors stays to be seen.
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