Pyongyang: DPR Korea picked up their second win of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, third round qualifying campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 win over reigning AFC Asian Cup champions Japan at the Kim Il-sung Stadium on Tuesday.
With Japan and Uzbekistan having already secured their passage to the next stage of qualifying the result was to prove inconsequential to the outcome of Group C but it was certainly a morale-boosting victory for the North Koreans, who are gearing up for the defence of their AFC Challenge Cup title which takes place in March next year in Nepal.
The feisty encounter which saw Bahrain referee Nawaf Shukralla issue seven yellow cards to the hosts - including two for Jong Il-gwan who was sent off in the 77th minute - was settled in the 50th minute by Pak Nam-chol, scorer of the Chollima's winner in their Matchday 2 victory over Tajikistan.
source : afc.com
Indeed a morale boosting victory. Correct me if I'm wrong but the winner of the AFC Challenge Cup qualifies for the 2015 Asian Cup?
ReplyDeleteIt is great to see the stadium packed. Someone once said DPRK fans are very quiet, it doesn't sound quiet :) Also the nonsense of people dressing all identically and only army staff being allowed into the stadium seems to be nonsense. I see plenty of people that look very normal citizens dressing as they please.
Can anyone in the DPRK just go to games as they wish? I surely hope to attend a game someday when my finances allow me to travel to North Korea. The stadium looks impressive even when I saw it on photos already very often. When packed with fans, it surely looks impressive to be there.
Yes, the winner of AFC Challenge Cup in Nepal next year (March) qualify for 2015 Asia Cup
ReplyDelete