AN BELIEVES TEAMWORK WILL TAKE 4.25 SC THROUGH IN AFC CUP INTER-ZONE SEMI-FINAL

Bengaluru: 4.25 SC Captain An Il-bom has emphasised the importance of working together as the forward prepares to lead the DPR Korea club out against JSW Bengaluru in the first leg of the AFC Cup Inter-Zone semi-final on Wednesday.

An  wore the skipper’s armband as tournament debutants 4.25 progressed to the knockout rounds, scoring twice in the group stage to pip compatriots Kigwancha SC to top spot in the Group I standings.

But it was his strike partner Kim Yu-song who grabbed most the headlines in netting a competition-leading nine goals in just four games as the Pyongyang-based club qualified for the next stage at the first time of asking.

“Kim Yu-song is a really good player,” An told the-AFC.com ahead of training at a saturated Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Tuesday evening.

“He’s our striker, he does a really good job and I think for the match he’ll be at his best.

“But we’re a team and not about the individual players. Everyone has to try their best to work well together and then we can get a good result.”

After going off in 4.25’s opening-day win over Mongolia’s Erchim FC, An did not play again until his side’s third match – a 2-2 draw with Kigwancha in the Pyongyang derby.

Trailing 2-0 with 20 minutes to play, the 26-year-old pulled one back before striker Kim scored deep into stoppage time with a goal that would ultimately send 4.25 through thanks to a marginally better head to head against Kigwancha.

An added another to his tally in a 5-0 victory over Erchim in their fourth and final Group I game to confirm top spot and be crowned East Asia Zonal champions.

“Right now we feel a little bit tired because of the flight here,” added An, whose team only arrived in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

“But we practiced a lot in DPR Korea to prepare for the match and I think our condition is pretty good. Both teams are very strong so it will be interesting.”

Head coach Hwang Yong-song, meanwhile, noted that his side would face stern opposition but has his eyes firmly fixed on progressing further into the competition with a group of players that know each other well.

“We think Bengaluru are a very strong team and have many good players,” said Pak. “They have four India internationals and also some foreign players so we think they have good players.

“Our team has many young players but we have played together for a long time. This is the first time we have participated in the AFC Cup and we have won some games.

“Now we’re playing Bengaluru and first of all we hope to win this game and proceed to the next stage.”

Photos: Lagardère Sports

http://www.the-afc.com/afc-cup-2017/an-believes-teamwork-will-take-425-sc-through-in-afc-cup-inter-zone-semi-final

AFC Asian Cup Qualifier : Hong Kong 1-1 DPR Korea

Qatar play out 2-2 draw with North Korea

Qatar’s national football team drew on Tuesday 2-2 with North Korea, in the match that took place in Jassim bin Hamad stadium at Al Sadd SC. 
Qatar took a 2-0 lead through goals from Abdul Kareem Hassan and Ali Afif in the 32nd and 56th minute respectively. The North Korean team, however, managed to draw level in a 10-minute period between 63rd and 73rd minute. 
The friendly was the final preparation for the Qatari team ahead of their match against South Korea which will take place in Doha. The two sides are in Group A as part of the World Cup 2018 qualifiers. The top two teams of each group will qualify to the final. The third-placed teams will face each other in a play-off, the winner of which will play against the fourth-placed team in the North America qualifiers. The winner would then qualify to the World Cup.

http://www.gulf-times.com/story/552502/Qatar-play-out-2-2-draw-with-North-Korea

Qatar friendly for DPR Korea , draw 2-2

DPR Korea is scheduled to play a friendly against Qatar on 6. June in Qatar.

The friendly is preparation for ASIAN Cup qualifying match against Hong Kong on 13. June

UPDATE :

Qatar 2-2 DPR Korea

AFC POSTPONES DPR KOREA V MALAYSIA ASIAN CUP QUALIFIER

Kuala Lumpur: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has decided that because of the geo-political tension on the Korean Peninsula the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 Qualifying Final Round match between DPR Korea and Malaysia, scheduled for Pyongyang on June 8, 2017 should be postponed.

The game will now be re-scheduled for the next best available FIFA match-day which is Thursday, October 5, 2017.

Although the AFC had proposed on May 8, 2017 that the match – which was already postponed from March 28, 2017 – take place in the DPR Korea capital, recent developments have forced the AFC to reconsider the decision on the grounds of safety and security.

The AFC will closely monitor the safety and security position in coming months as well as the AFC Cup match between Kigwancha SC (DPR Korea) against Erchim FC (Mongolia) to be played May 31, 2017 as well as the AFC U-23 Championship Qualifiers - Group G to be hosted in Pyongyang, DPR Korea from July 19-23, 2017.

After those matches, the AFC will make a decision of the venue for the AFC Asian Cup Qualifier on October 5, 2017.

http://www.the-afc.com/media-releases/afc-postpones-dpr-korea-v-malaysia-asian-cup-qualifier

4.25 SC WIN TO SEAL SPOT IN AFC CUP KNOCKOUT PHASE

Ulaanbataar: Kim Yu-song scored a hat-trick as DPR Korea’s 4.25 SC confirmed their place in the next phase of the 2017 AFC Cup on Wednesday with a comfortable 5-0 win over Mongolia’s Erchim that guarantees the club Pyongyang top spot in Group I.
Victory moves 4.25 SC onto eight points from four games so far and the Pak Myung-hun-coached team cannot be surpassed at the summit by Kigwancha due to 4.25’s superior head-to-head record over their compatriots.

Dulguun Tumurbaatar deflected Kim’s shot past his own goalkeeper midway through the first half to give 4.25 the lead before An Il-bom doubled his side’s advantage from close range five minutes before the break.

Kim scored a second 12 minutes after the restart when he lifted the ball over the advancing Ariunbold Batsaikhan and, with 21 minutes to go, Ro Hyong-jin converted from the penalty spot. Kim side-footed home his third of the day and ninth of the competition with five minutes remaining to complete the rout and send 4.25 SC through to the Inter-zonal Play-off Semi-finals.



http://www.the-afc.com/afc-cup-2017/match-report/competition/821/season/2017/matchid/906700

AFC CUP 2017 - GROUP I: KIGWANCHA SC 2-2 4.25 SC

Pyongyang: Kim Yu-song's sixth goal in three 2017 AFC Cup matches saw 4.25 SC salvage a point in injury time after they came back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with fellow DPR Korean side Kigwancha SC in Group I on Wednesday.

Having played out a 1-1 draw two weeks ago in the first of two Pyongyang derbies, Kigwancha went ahead on 35 minutes through forward Rim Kwang-hyok before substitute Ri Un-il doubled the lead just a minute after he entered the field on the hour-mark.

Captain An Il-bom replied for 4.25 SC on 70 minutes to halve the deficit but defender An Song-il's sending off four minutes into added time looked to have ended any hopes of a come-back.   

However, there was a final twist in the tale as Kim had the final word on the 98th minute as the group remains alive with the two DPR Koreans level-pegging at the top. 

Mongolia's Erchim FC, five points behind but with two games to play against both Kigwancha and 4.25 SC, also retain a slim chance of a place in the Zonal Semi-finals.

http://www.the-afc.com/afc-cup-2017/afc-cup-2017-group-i-kigwancha-sc-2-2-425-sc