North Korean women's soccer, which had been deeply asleep due to COVID-19, is stretching hard.
North Korea defeated Japan 1-0 at the final of the U-20 Women's World Cup 2024 in Bogota, Colombia on Sunday. With this victory, North Korea has clinched its third career championship (2006, 2016 and 2024). Having skipped the 2022 World Cup due to COVID-19, North Korea has become the joint largest winner along with Germany and the U.S.
North Korea boasted all of its seven matches from the group league to the finals of the event, in which 24 countries participated. While scoring 25 goals in seven matches, the North only scored four goals.
At the final match on the day, Choi scored a bold dribble in the 15th minute and scored a surprise left-footed shot to secure the victory. With the score, Choi became the top scorer (six goals) in the tournament, beating over Japan's Hijikata Maya and Brazil's Natalia Benditu (five goals). Choi was also named the star of the Golden Ball.
North Korea has displayed outstanding competitiveness in women's soccer in recent years. After making a splendid comeback with silver medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year, the North has continued to win the U-20 Women's Asian Cup in March this year and the U-17 Women's Asian Cup in May, reminding us of the past when it dominated the world stage in the early 2000s.메이저놀이터
At that time, North Korea fostered women's soccer led by the state and used it as a means to show off North Korea's power on the world stage. Ri Geum-sook, who was once called World Class, won the title at the Doha Asian Games in 2006, when she was in her prime. Although North Korea's competitiveness declined after some players were found drugged at the 2011 Women's World Cup, it is said that Pyongyang is once again seeking its former prestige.
"It is clear that the next generation of women's soccer in North Korea has competitive edge," said Kim Dae-gil, commentator of Kyunghyang Shinmun. "It compares with South Korea's concern over the exit of the golden generation," Kim said. "We will be able to compete with North Korea only when the interest in women's soccer, which has increased to "those who are scoring goals," leads to elite players."