Pyongyang – Ponghwasan (2:0)
Rimyongsu – Sobaeksu (2:3)
Pyongyang – Ponghwasan (2:0)
Rimyongsu – Sobaeksu (2:3)
25 April – Amnokkang
Kyonggongopson – Wolmido
Gruppo A – Sud Corea, Malaysia, Laos, Arabia Saudita
Gruppo B – Uzbekistan, Hong Kong, Bangladesh, Afghanistan
Gruppo C – Oman, Palestina, Singapore, Tajikistan
Gruppo D – Giappone, Kuwait, Iraq, Nepal
Gruppo E – Tailandia, Maldive, Indonesia, Timor Est
Gruppo F – RPDC, Cina, Pakistan
Gruppo G – UAE, India, Giordania
Gruppo H – Iran, Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan
Gruppo A – Sud Corea, Tailandia, India, Maldive
Gruppo B – Giappone, Cina, Cinese Taipei, Giordania
Gruppo C – RPDC, Vietnam, Hong Kong
Semifinale a senso unico, dominata dalla fisicità delle nigeriane che schiantano per 6-2 la selezione coreana.
Semifinale 3-4 posto contro la Germania.
Asisat Oshoala scored four times as Nigeria reached the final with a thumping 6-2 victory over Korea DPR in the highest-scoring semi-final ever seen at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. Oshoala also laid on two more goals in a win that leaves the Super Falconets to face either France or Germany on Sunday at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium, and the North Koreans to play for third place at the same venue.
Nigeria have had a tendency to score quick goals during their time at the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Canada 2014, and Courtney Dike continued that trend with a goal barely more than a minute after kick-off. Oshoala set the tone by setting it up, releasing Dike in behind Korea DPR’s captain Choe Sol-Gyong before the No8 expertly picked her spot just inside the far post. At the half-way point of the first period, Oshoala doubled Nigeria’s lead, capitalising on a poor touch from centre-half Song Kyong-Hui before rounding the keeper and passing into an open goal.
Less than ten minutes later, Ri Un-Sim – arguably the North Koreans’ most dangerous attacker throughout the tournament – pulled one back with a great bit of individual skill after receiving a long ball from midfield. Ri beat two defenders on the cutback and finished past Sandra Chiichii with a powerful shot into the top corner. From there, Korea DPR looked inspired in search of an equaliser but the score remained 2-1 at half-time before Nigeria swiftly put the game out of reach within minutes of the restart.
In similar fashion to her appearance and goal in the quarter-finals against New Zealand, Uchechi Sunday came on as a substitute and within a minute scored to restore her team’s two-goal lead. Oshoala then put the game out of reach on the hour mark when she hit a stunning shot from 20 yards out that left Kim with no chance as it flew into the top corner.
Korea DPR had one last glimmer of hope two minutes later when Ugo Njoku handled the ball in her own area, allowing Jon So-Yon to score from the penalty spot. However, Oshoala’s quality shone through yet again in the 68th minute when she completed her hat-trick, beating Song and winning a foot race with Kim to once more fire into an empty net.
Nigeria were not finished there, though, and with five minutes from time the No4 matched the number on her jersey. The goal came as a result of another North Korean defensive miscue less than six yards from goal, resulting in a simple tap-in.
Oshoala had taken the wind out of the Korean sails far earlier in the match and when the final whistle sounded, her Nigerian team-mates surrounded her in celebration, while Hwang Yong-Bong’s side trudged off disconsolately.
Pyongyang, August 20 (KCNA) — Group league matches for the Soccer Tournament for Torch Cup go on at Kim Il Sung Stadium here.
Thirteen teams from across the country are taking part in the tournament, divided into groups A and B. The tournament began on August 10 with the Youth Day (Aug. 28) as an occasion and will last till August 28.
The results of group league matches till August 18 showed that the April 25 Team was leading group A (seven teams) with four wins in four matches and Sobaeksu and Pyongyang teams group B (six teams), each with two wins and two draws in four matches.
The April 25 Team beat Amnokgang Team 4:1, the Team of the Ministry of Light Industry 3:1 and Ryongaksan and Kwanmobong teams 3:0.
It is certain that the April 25 Team will advance into the semifinals, according to an official concerned.
The group league matches will end on Aug. 22 and the semifinals will take place on a knock-out basis on Aug. 25. The finals are to be held on Aug. 28.
Sobaeksu – Ponghwasan (4:0)
Rimyongsu – Myohyangsan (0:0)
Rimyongsu – Sobaeksu (2:3)
Pyongyang – Ponghwasan (3:0)
Amnokkang – 25 April (1:4)
Sobaeksu – Ponghwasan (4:0)
Kim: I love penalties
There are no statistics to prove it, but footballing folklore holds that players who take the term ‘run-up’ literally and sprint up to the ball in a penalty shoot-out are nervous and therefore less likely to score. All four USA takers against Korea DPR trotted up and three went on to miss.
This time round, however, there should be no talk of curses or bottling it. Simply put, the talent of Korea DPR goalkeeper Kim Chol-Ok made the difference. Savannah Jordan, Lindsey Horan and Rose Lavelle all hit the target from 12 yards, but Kim stood tall and came into her own to dump the holders out at the quarter-final stage of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Canada 2014 and send the 2006 champions into the last four.
“Maybe they rushed their kicks, but to be totally honest I don’t think I was even paying attention to who was taking each penalty and how they prepared,” the shoot-out hero told FIFA.com. “I was concentrating so hard that all I could see was the ball and that approach worked a treat.”
When the scores finished level after 120 minutes, the shot-stopper was far from nervous. While the takers on both sides will have had butterflies in their stomachs as they approached the spot, Kim was in her element.
“Honestly, I love penalties!” she confessed, a broad beam on her face. “They are the perfect stage for a keeper. You have nothing to lose and you hold all the cards to show what you’re made of. I was full of confidence; I was extremely focused going in and that stood me in really good stead.”
In the first shoot-out of her international career, the April 25 SC custodian produced a masterclass and seized the Player of the Match accolade with both hands in the process. As she spoke to us after the game, she had the framed certificate tucked firmly under her arm and each and every one of her team-mates came over to congratulate her, flashing her a smile or cracking a joke en route to the team bus.
All were eager to sneak a peek at the award, which Kim plans to use as personal inspiration in the future: “I’m going to treasure it and give it pride of place on the wall at home so that every time I look at it, all the great memories will come flooding back,” enthused the 19-year-old, clutching it even tighter.
Speaking of inspiration, the youngster’s knowledge of the goalkeeping greats is clearly as wide as her reach between the sticks. Asked about her idol, she batted away the names of Iker Casillas, Gianluigi Buffon, Manuel Neuer and Hope Solo. “I’ve always admired Lev Yashin,” she revealed, despite the former Soviet Union legend having retired over 40 years ago and died four years before she was born.
“Obviously I never saw him play in the flesh, but he’s someone that every goalie should know,” she went on. “Even so many years after the end of his career, he’s an example for me to follow.”
The Moscow-born icon would certainly have identified with the North Korean’s match-winning performance against USA. Yashin is believed to have stopped over 150 penalties over the course of his career, while in a single game Kim can now add three to her own personal tally.
E’ Kim Chol Ok l’eroina della giornata. Il portiere della nazionale femminile under-20 para i primi tre rigori contro gli Stati Uniti e porta le sue compagne in semifinale.
Partita subito in salita per le ragazze di Pyongyang che appena dopo 6 minuti subiscono il gol americano, con Mackenzy Doniak. Ma la reazione è importante e le americane vengono schiacciate nella loro metacampo per tutti i successivi minuti di gioco, fino a quando al 18esimo della ripresa Jon Ryon-Hwa segna un calcio di rigore causato da un fallo di mano.
Le coreane spingono ancora e creano numerose palle gol non sfruttate.
Nei supplementari è la stanchezza a farla da padrona, dall’una e dall’altra parte, mentre ai rigori le americane calciano malissimo tre rigori su quattro e permettono a Kim di ergersi a baluardo quasi insuperabile.
Sarà RPDC – USA uno dei quarti di finale del mondiale femminile under-20: una sfida ormai consueta nel calcio del “gentil sesso”.
Nell’ultima gara del girone le coreane hanno perso per 1-0 contro il Canada, sconfitta ininfulente che ha permesso comunque la qualificazione al primo posto.
Per la FIFA le coreane sono le favorite alla vittoria finale:
From the inaugural FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in 2003 onwards, Germany and USA have shared the majority of global crowns – five in total – between them, and for that reason are always highly fancied to lift the trophy. The only time that this monopoly was broken was in 2006, when impressive debutants Korea DPR emerged victorious in Russia.
Since that triumph, the Asians have been an ever-present at the prestigious tournament, falling to the eventual champions on each occasion: in the final versus USA in 2008, and in the quarter-finals in both 2010 and 2012, against Germany and USA respectively.
“We know that those two teams are favourites again,” midfielder Choe Yun-Gyong told FIFA.com. “It actually doesn’t bother us to fly under the radar at the tournament. But we’re also aiming to become world champions, even if we’re not viewed as favourites.”
The North Koreans do appear to have the personnel required to lay a claim to the U-20 throne. Indeed, with two wins from their Group A fixtures against Finland and Ghana, they currently find themselves two and three points better off than the Germans (4) and the Americans (3).
One of their key assets is Ri Un-Sim, a prolific goalscorer who won the adidas Golden Shoe at the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Azerbaijan 2012 and who is keen to repeat the feat at U-20 level.
“It’s a great memory – I’m really proud of winning that award,” she told FIFA.com in the aftermath of a match in which she bagged her first two goals of Canada 2014 against Ghana.
“You get a taste for it, and I’m going to do everything in my power to ensure I finish top scorer yet again. But if I had the choice, I’d easily swap the goals for a winners’ medal,” she added.
Taking into account her own display and the all-round team performance versus the Africans, it is certainly not unthinkable that Korea DPR might attain both objectives.
During their opening match with Finland, Ri was involved in the build-up to her team’s two goals, but was unable to find the target herself before being substituted.
It was Kim So-Hyang and Choe Yun-Gyong who therefore took charge of delivering the all-important goals, the pick of which was the latter’s spectacular long-range effort which flew past Vera Varis into the Finnish net.
“It’s something that I work on quite regularly, and I’ve got one of the most powerful shots in the team,” explained the confident teenager, who came close to scoring in similar fashion from even further out against the Ghanaians.
“In those moments, you don’t have too much time to think about it, but you know that you’ve made your family and your country proud.”
Fans back home were again given something to shout about during the second group encounter, when Ri Un Sim buried a brace of headers and directed a third against the crossbar, before Jon So-Yon’s late penalty made it 3-0.
Korea DPR coach Hwang Yong-Bong has made it clear that Ri is a crucial cog in the AFC representatives’ starting XI. “It’s important to have someone in the side who’s capable of changing the game at any moment. She’s our first-choice forward, and she’s living up to our expectations, as she did at U-17 level,” he said.
“She’s learning as each match goes by. She can still develop further, and that’s hopeful for her and our future,” he continued.
As far as the immediate future is concerned, Hwang’s charges now face host nation Canada in Montreal with a place in the quarter-finals at stake. Should they negotiate that hurdle successfully, they will again lock horns with some familiar foes, namely Germany or USA.
Iraq crowned AFC U-14 Champions
Hamedan: In-form striker Mohanad Ali Kadhim netted a brace as Iraq lifted the AFC U-14 Championship 2014 title after registering a comfortable 3-0 victory over DPR Korea in the final played at the Hajibabaei Stadium on Wednesday.
Kadhim, who was the tournament’s leading goalscorer with four goals before the final, took his total tally to six and walked away with the highest goalscorer honours.
After a goalless first half, Kadhim put Iraq 2-0 with goals in the 32nd and 43rd minutes. Mohammed Ridha, who was later declared the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, sealed the emphatic win with a 55th minute strike..
DPR Korea were shadows of their previous selves, and apart from a clear-cut chance in the 16th minute forward Jong In-sok fired wide, the Korean outfit remained subdued throughout.
It was a miss they would rue, as Kadhim, a constant threat to the DPR Korea goal, broke the deadlock in the 32nd minute. Credit must go to defender Habeeb Mohammed who delievered an excellent pass for Kadhim to convert and give Iraq the lead.
DPR took a gamble and started trying to take the game to Iraq, but the West Asians showed exactly is required of champions, by duly extending their lead. A brilliant display of one-touch passing sent Kadhim clear and the Baghdad-born forward finishing coolly past goalkeeper Kim Kum-song shortly before half-time.
The game was sealed by dead-ball specialist Ridha who volleyed home with five minutes left on the clock to seal an emphatic Iraq win.
This is Iraq’s second continental age-group title of the year following their title winning campaign at the AFC U-22 Championship. They were also in the semi-finals and final respectively in the previous editions of the AFC U-16 and U-19 Championships.
Questo il cammino dei coreani:
RPDC – Arabia Saudita 2-0 (KIM POM HYOK, PAEK CHUNG SONG)
RPDC – Iran 1-0 (KIM POM HYOK)
RPDC – Timor Est 2-2 (PAEK CHUNG SONG, YUN MIN)
RPDC – Sudcorea 3-1 (rigori)
RPDC – Iraq 0-3