Nanjing: A wonderfully effective DPR Korea rounded out their group-stage campaign in style, beating host nation China PR 2-0 to finish on top of Group A on Saturday– ensuring they will enter the AFC U-19 Women’s Championship semi-finals full of confidence.
First half goals from An Song-ok and Ri Hae-yon secured the win, as the world U-17 and U-20 women’s champions notched up their sixth consecutive victory over China in the tournament, and made themselves the only team in Nanjing to navigate the group stage without conceding a goal
The match brought together the only two foreign coaches in the tournament, with DPR Korea’s Thomas Gerstner and China’s Hesterine de Reus – born 450 kilometres apart in Europe – taking charge of neighbouring countries on the other side of the world.
China hadn’t tasted victory against DPR Korea at the AFC-19 Women’s Championship in 11 years, and hadn’t scored against them in 10, and within three minutes they fell into a familiar position.
Deployed on the right-wing, An could scarcely believe her luck as the Chinese defence completely opened up, allowing her to stroll in and slam the ball past an exposed Peng Shimeng.
Sung nearly doubled the lead with a lunging header five minutes later, and she was denied by Chen Qiaozhu’s desperate goal-line clearance in the 21st minute, as the pacey forward brought danger to the Chinese defence whenever the ball went near her.
As China held on, an excellent 40-metre run from the recalled Xie Qiwen igniting the home crowd, but didn’t produce a shot at goal, in the 24th minute, before a moment of improvisation doubled the DPR Korea advantage later.
The striker – who has already played and scored at full international level – latched on to a long diagonal pass before flicking the ball over the head of the oncoming Peng and into the path of a lunging Ri Hae-yon, who stabbed home her third of the tournament to make it 2-0.
After barely conceding a shot at goal in their first matches, China were two down in less than half an hour, and it was only the alertness of Peng who kept it from being a greater margin at half time.
de Reus’ side offered more of a threat after half-time, and began to look more defensively sound, but the result had an air of inevitability about it after DPR Korea’s first-half blitz.
Chinese substitute Ma Xiaolan had her country’s best chance just minutes after coming on, but her shot went straight into the arms of goalkeeper Ri Jong-sim, while Ri Hae-yon was denied by Peng – who did all she could throughout the 90 minutes.
The final moments of the match were China’s strongest, and nearly culminated in a goal when the ball fell to Wang Yanwen 10 metres from goal, but her scrambled shot failed to navigate the sea of legs between it and the net.
The hosts - already assured of a place in the final four prior to the match - live to fight another day, but have work to do if they are to achieve their pre-tournament goal of FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup qualification, which they will achieve with a top three finish.
Photos: AFC
Source: the-afc.com