DPR KOREA FIRST THROUGH TO AFC U-16 CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS

Singapore: DPR Korea will get the chance to defend their Under 16 title after they became the first side to qualify for the 2016 AFC U-16 Championship following a 2-0 over Thailand on Sunday that saw them finish top of Group H.

DPR Korea, who ironically won the 2014 AFC U-16 Championship in Thailand when they defeated Korea Republic 2-1 in the final in Bangkok, took the lead with 33 minutes at the Jalan Besar Stadium played, with Kye Tam scoring his second of the qualifiers following his effort in the 3-0 Matchday 2 win over Singapore.

The North Koreans doubled their advantage two minutes after the hour mark when Paek Kwang-min scored what transpired to be the final goal of the game as Kim Yong-hun’s side topped Group H with a 100% record, booking their ticket to India having scored 12 and conceded none in their three matches in Singapore.

After Sunday’s disappointing finale, which saw Thailand finish with nine men after Sumana Salapphet was sent off for a second bookable offence in the 85th minute before Natthapong Nakpitak was red carded two minutes later, Khunnan Payong and his side must wait until the conclusion of the qualifiers on September 20 to see if they have done enough to go through as one of the best group runners-up.

Singapore, meanwhile, finished their campaign on a positive note as two goals in the last ten minutes saw the Group H hosts come from 1-0 down and defeat Cambodia in the later fixture at the Jalan Besar Stadium as the two ASEAN nations met to determine the third and fourth-place finishers.

Sieng Chanthea put the Cambodians one up three minutes after the interval only for Glen Kweh to pull Singapore level in the 69th minute.

As the game entered the 81st minute Khairie bin Abdul Hamid made it 2-1 for the hosts and with two minutes left on the clock Irfan Jeferee extended Singapore’s advantage as the Cubs ended the qualifiers with a win.

The ten other group winners and four best second-placed teams will join DPR Korea and India in next year’s finals, with the tournament hosts receiving an automatic qualification.

Should India finish top of their qualifying group or among the four best second-placed teams, the fifth best second-placed nation will qualify for the final competition.

The qualifying action continues on September 12 when Group G, which features Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Northern Mariana Islands, and Timor Leste, kicks-off in Vientiane, while the remaining nine other groups all get underway four days later.

afc.com

World Cup qualifying matches in Pyongyang

** World Cup 2018 Qualifying Matches to be Held in Pyongyang **

A great opportunity for tourists to watch some international football matches at the Kim Il Sung Stadium. The atmosphere will be fantastic!

- DPRK vs Philliphine; Oct 08, 2015
- DPRK vs Yemen; Oct 13, 2015
- DPRK vs Bahrain; Nov 17, 2015

Our WPK Foundation Day group tours will cover the October matches and we will be offering the chance to spectate at one or indeed both games.

Alternatively, come by yourself or with friends, on personalised tour dates and length, by booking one of our private tours to coincide with the match of your choice.

https://www.facebook.com/JucheTravelServices?fref=ts

RUSSIA 2018/UAE 2019 QUALIFIERS: BAHRAIN 0-1 DPR KOREA

Riffa: DPR Korea continued their perfect start to the second preliminary round of joint-qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup/2019 AFC Asian Cup with substitute Jong Il-gwan’s first-half goal seeing the Chollima edge Bahrain 1-0 on Thursday.

The 2010 AFC Youth Player of the Year scored just two minutes after coming off the bench to replace So Hyon-uk and with neither side able to add to the scoreline at the Bahrain National Stadium, Jong’s goal was enough for DPR Korea to make it three wins out of three.

The North Koreans’ victory consigned Bahrain to their second straight defeat following their 2-1 loss to the Philippines in their Group H curtain raiser, leaving the Gulf side fourth in the five-team table above Yemen, who lost their third successive match after going down 1-0 to Uzbekistan.

Bahrain and Yemen will be desperate for their first points when the two meet in Doha on Tuesday, with DPR Korea resuming their campaign next month when they host the Philippines.

The group winners and four best runners-up (total 12 teams) will advance to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup finals and the final round of qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

The next best 24 teams from the preliminary stage of the joint qualifiers will compete in a separate competition for the remaining slots (12 slots or 11 slots + 1 slot for the host) in the 24-team 2019 Asian Cup.

the-afc.com

FIFA World Cup qualifier : Bahrain vs DPR Korea , Livestream link

http://shoof.alkass.net/shoof/live/live_4.php

Bahrain vow to fight till the end

Manama: Bahrain coach Sergio Batista vowed to fight till the last minute when his team take on North Korea today at the National Stadium in a do-or-die clash of the 2018 World Cup and 2019 Asian Cup qualifiers, starting at 6.40pm.

Bahrain will be looking for their first victory in Group ‘H’ after their 1-2 defeat at the hands of the Philippines in the first match.

“We did our best during our training camps. The players had a long break after the league. So we had to work hard on our fitness and tactics,” said the Argentine at yesterday’s Press conference at Bahrain National Stadium. 

“We acknowledge that North Korea prepared for this match better than us. They had a friendly tournament and played three matches but we have studied our opponents very well and know what to expect from this game,” Batista added. 

Batista held a training camp in Turkey last month and is delighted to have achieved his targets during that time. 

“We did not play friendlies like them. We had no time for friendlies and there were a lot of things to be done after the loss against the Philippines. We had more things to concentrate on that were not going to be fixed by friendlies.

“We worked hard on the physical aspect of the players and their fitness. We worked on how to develop a winning mentally in all our games, not only against North Korea. Our players are ready for such an important game now,” said the coach. 

Batista knows that in case Bahrain loses today’s match it would complicate his side’s chances in the qualifications. 

“It will be painful if we lose but we will never lose hope until the last minute. We will fight till the end and try to qualify,” Batista said. 

Batista said he has studied his opponents very well using data and video analysis and has figured their style of play.

“Our opponents have improved recently. They are good in free kicks and they depend on long balls to finish off the game. They always try and have a fast game so that they can control it and outplay their opponents but we are ready.

“They are here as group leaders and anything other than a loss will be a good result for them, but our concentration on the game needs to be high. We will not be rushing for a win but rather try and control the tempo of the game,” Batista said. 

“It’s a 90-minute game and anything can happen in a second. We need to be able to control it from start to finish and try and block their counter attacks,” Batista added. 

North Korea are known to depend on a strong defensive line and play long balls to their striker to score goals.

“We have shown our players their videos and highlighted key moments and aspects to concentrate on. Our attitude and the atmosphere we create during the game can make a difference,” he said. 

“They will be defending most of the time, but we are capable of taking their defence apart,” Batista concluded. 

The other teams in the group are Uzbekistan, Philippines and Yemen.

http://www.gdnonline.com/Details/21775/Bahrain-vow-to-fight-till-the-end