The first North Korean sports team to visit the South in eight years crowned their trip by winning the Asian Women’s Champions League, beating Japan’s Tokyo Verdy Beleza 1-0 in the final.
Naegohyang Women’s FC lifted the trophy on Saturday thanks to captain Kim Kyong Yong’s goal just before half-time in the South Korean city of Suwon.
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Women’s football is one of North Korea’s strongest international sports, with their national sides regularly competing at the highest levels in Asia and globally.
Naegohyang’s win means they will appear in next year’s FIFA Women’s Champions Cup, which will feature teams from around the world.
Naegohyang, founded in 2012 and whose name means “My Hometown” in Korean, beat Suwon FC Women 2-1 in the semifinals at the same Suwon stadium earlier this week in a rare North-South match-up.
The North Koreans edged Tokyo in a final that featured plenty of hard tackles but was played in a fair spirit.
The players hugged each other at the final whistle, and coach Ri Yu Il sat on the bench and wept with joy. Post by aljazeera