North Korea tops women’s soccer group on goal difference with 19 goals in three games

North Korea scores against South Korea during the final match of group-stage play at the Asian Games in Japan, Monday. (Yonhap)
North Korea scores against South Korea during the final match of group-stage play at the Asian Games in Japan, Monday. (Yonhap)

South Korea came from behind to hold North Korea to a 1-1 draw in their final Group F match at the Asian Games in Japan on Monday, but fell short of claiming the top spot in the group.

Chae Un-yong put North Korea ahead in the 36th minute, scoring on the turn after South Korea failed to clear a corner. Yoon Su-jeong equalized less than a minute into the second half, driving between two defenders before finishing with her right foot.

South Korea’s Yoon Su-jeong celebrates with her teammates after scoring the equalizer against North Korea during a women’s soccer group-stage match at Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa in Fukuroi, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, on Monday. (Yonhap)
South Korea’s Yoon Su-jeong celebrates with her teammates after scoring the equalizer against North Korea during a women’s soccer group-stage match at Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa in Fukuroi, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, on Monday. (Yonhap)

South Korea started in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Choe Yu-ri as the lone striker and Ji So-yun playing just behind her. North Korea used a 4-4-2, with Kim Kyong-yong and Han Jin-hong leading the attack.

Both teams ended the group stage with seven points, but North Korea claimed the top spot on goal difference after scoring 19 goals in three matches. South Korea finished second on 12 goals.

North Korea's focus may be far away from international soccer lately, but its women’s teams rarely miss a chance to establish themselves as among Asia’s strongest. And South Korea knows that better than most.

Before Monday’s match, South Korea had beaten North Korea just once in 21 meetings, with four draws and 16 losses.

South Korea’s only win came more than two decades ago: a 1-0 victory at the 2005 East Asian Football Championship. North Korea has dominated the rivalry ever since, using aggressive pressing, physical play and pace on the counterattack.

The teams last met in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. South Korea took an early lead but went down to 10 players before halftime, allowing North Korea to score four unanswered goals and win 4-1. The defeat ended South Korea’s hopes of winning a fourth straight bronze medal.

North Korean players greet their supporters after a women’s soccer group-stage match against South Korea at Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa in Fukuroi, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, on Monday.
North Korean players greet their supporters after a women’s soccer group-stage match against South Korea at Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa in Fukuroi, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan, on Monday.

But North Korea’s dominance over South Korea is only part of its long history of success in women’s soccer.

North Korea has won the Women’s Asian Cup three times, lifting the trophy in 2001 and 2003, before reclaiming the title in 2008. It also has three Asian Games gold medals, won in 2002, 2006 and 2014.

Its success runs just as deep at the youth level.

North Korea is the only country to have won the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup three times, taking the title in 2006, 2016 and 2024. Its under-17 team matched that feat, winning in 2008, 2016 and 2024.

The dual titles in 2024 showed that North Korea continues to nurture top talent despite spending long periods away from international competition. It also became the first country to win the women’s under-17 and under-20 World Cups in the same year.

Several players from that generation have since joined the senior team, adding fresh talent to a squad already known for its intensity and aggression.


junheee@heraldcorp.com