Monthly Archives: settembre 2014

DPR Korea win AFC U-16 Championship

Bangkok: Han Kwang-song and Choe Song-hyok scored in the second half as DPR Korea claimed a record-equalling second AFC U-16 Championship title after completing a 2-1 comeback victory over Korea Republic in Saturday’s final at Rajamangala Stadium.

Choi Jae-young’s 34th minute header had given Korea Republic the lead as Choi Jin-cheul’s side sought to claim a record third AFC U-16 Championship title having advanced to the final with a 100% record.

But after Han equalised for 2010 champions DPR Korea five minutes after half-time, Choe struck with 23 minutes remaining as Yon Kwang-mu’s side joined Korea Republic, Japan, China, Saudi Arabia and Oman as two-time winners of the tournament.

Roared on by the biggest crowd of the tournament, both sides started the contest at a frantic pace, although Korea Republic’s Ahn Joon-soo was the busier of the two goalkeepers during the opening exchanges as the custodian made a regulation save from Kim Ye-bom’s speculative long range effort after eight minutes before watching as Han blazed into the side netting.

Ahn was beaten seven minutes later but Jong Chang-bom had strayed narrowly offside before racing onto Kim Wi-song’s through ball, while opposite number Ri Chol-song was soon called into action to make a smart save low to his right from Lee Seung-woo’s drive from the edge of the penalty area.

And Ri again blocked from Lee 15 minutes before half-time as the diminutive Barcelona striker rode a challenge before evading another DPR Korea defender and firing goalwards from just outside the area.

With the end-to-end nature of the contest continuing, Korea Republic goalkeeper Ahn then had to deal with a rising strike from Han which the custodian unconvincingly punched to safety.

But despite DPR Korea looking the most likely to break the deadlock, Korea Republic opened the scoring 11 minutes before half-time as Choi Jae-young’s glancing header from Lee Sang-heon’s right-wing corner looped over Ri.

DPR Korea, though, were level five minutes after the restart as Park Yong-gwan’s long angled ball into the area was missed by the Korea Republic defence and Han expertly took one touch to bring the ball down before coolly beating Ahn from the edge of the six yard area.

And Han almost turned provider seven minutes later as Yon Jun-hyok could only direct the strikers pull back just wide of the upright with Ahn scrambling across his goal.

But DPR Korea did claim the lead seven minutes after the hour mark courtesy of another Korea Republic defensive mistake as a through ball was allowed to find Choe, and the striker rifled his shot across Ahn and into the top corner from inside the area.

With time running out Korea Republic quickly pressed for an equaliser and Ri had to be on his toes to block at close range from You Juan with 11 minutes remaining.

But despite Korea Republic continuing to press in the closing stages, they were unable to find a way past a well-organised and disciplined DPR Korea defence and suffered a first defeat of the campaign.

AFC U-16 C’ship Final: DPR Korea preview

“The players are OK ahead of the final and they have a lot of desire to perform well. Han is one of our main strikers, and as he is back, the other players are encouraged,” said former DPR Korea international striker Yon (pictured) ahead of his first final appearance as a head coach.

“As the competition goes on, our physical condition is not as good and of course at the same time, Iran and Australia were good teams and not easy to beat. In the last match against Australia Han did not play so that gave us some stress, but even in the last two matches, we had chances to score.

“I am not thinking about penalties and I don’t think they will happen in the final because our strikers are good and Han is back. He has had a full rest so he has benefited from the yellow cards.”

“I did not go to the stadiums to see Korea Republic’s matches, but I have watched videos and found they are as strong as Australia and Iran. But now Han has returned, I plan for us to have more chances and more goals than in the last two matches,” added Yon.

“Their player Lee Seung-woo is a good player, but I think compared to our strikers, they are at the same level, and even he may be better in my opinion so we are not too worried about him. But he is the best player in his team, and we need to be careful.”

“I think the reason Syria lost the last match was because when they conceded the second goal, they lost their mental strength,” said Yon.

“And also in my opinion, they were satisfied with qualifying for the World Cup, and after conceding two goals, they we discouraged.”

http://www.the-afc.com/en/tournamen…-afc-u-16-c-ship-final-dpr-korea-preview.html

FIFA Goal Keeper Coaching Course Given in DPRK

Pyongyang, September 19 (KCNA) — A FIFA goal keeper coaching course took place here from September 15 to 19.
It drew coaches from local sports teams and teachers of juvenile sports schools.
The course, divided into theoretical and practical sections, dealt with selection of goal keepers, physical fitness, goalkeeper’s role, warming up, training method, etc.
It was officiated by Stephan Stooss, a Swiss lecturer of FIFA.
He highly appreciated the professional level of coaches and teachers and their will to learn, saying that the course was successfully held thanks to the sincere cooperation of the DPRK Football Association.
He hoped that other projects favorable for the development of football in the DPRK would continue in cooperation with FIFA.

Ra Un-Sim: “Siamo qui per vincere l’oro”

Most of North Korea’s 260 athletes and officials have arrived in the South to participate in the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, for which the opening ceremony will be held tomorrow at 6 p.m. at the Asiad Main Stadium.

With the goal of finishing in the top 10 by claiming more than 10 gold medals, the North sent its first group of 94 Olympic committee officials and athletes including football players and rowers earlier this month. A second group of 87 people including gymnasts and shooters, led by Pyongyang’s Olympic committee chief Kim Young-hoon, arrived Tuesday night.

More groups have yet to arrive to round out the total of 260 North Koreans who will be at the Incheon event, where the country will compete in 14 sports including football, weight lifting, shooting, judo, wrestling, table tennis and archery.

The North has shown its strength as an Asian sporting nation, taking fourth place three times at the Asian Games since its first appearance in 1974 in Teheran. But the country hasn’t impressed in the past decade, placing ninth in 2002 in Busan, 16th in 2006 in Doha, and 12th in the 2010 Guangzhou Games. But since their new leader Kim Jong-un began ruling the nation in 2012, the North has announced a series of plans to regain its sports competitiveness and wants to use the Incheon Asian Games to show the outside the world that it’s headed in the right direction.

And the North is off to a fine start. The men’s football team crushed China 3-0 on Monday and the women’s football team overpowered Vietnam 5-0 on Tuesday. The women’s team is one of the strongest gold medal contenders along with South Korea and China. The North didn’t even use the leading scorer, Huh Eun-byul, at last year’s East Asian Cup tournament until the 73rd minute. The women’s team won gold in the 2002 and 2006 Asian Games and has recently completed a generational shift to assemble a squad with an average age of 21.5 years.

“We’re here to win a gold medal,” said the North Korean men’s football team coach, Yun Jung-su. “We have prepared well for the event and will show our best performance during the event.”

The North is expected to win big in weight lifting. The team won three gold and one bronze in weight lifting in the 2012 London Olympics. Their star lifters are Om Yun-chol and Kim Un-guk in men’s weight lifting, and Rim Jong-sim and Ryang Chun-hwa in the women’s event.

Gymnast Ri Se-gwang will compete for a gold medal in the men’s vault against the South’s Yang Hak-seon, the 2010 London Olympics gold medalist. The team also wants to continue its success in women’s judo, in which the North claimed a gold and a bronze in London. Female marathoner Kim Kum-ok, the winner of last year’s Asian Marathon Championship, will race toward a golden victory as well.

Yesterday, North Korean athletes in football, swimming, gymnastics, shooting, weight lifting and rowing started training at Incheon, but the North requested it be closed to the public.

BY KWON SANG-SOO [sakwon80@joongang.co.kr]

Superior North Korea down 10-men Pakistan in Asian Games opener

By Shahrukh Sohail, Chief Editor, Islamabad

The Shaheens were outclassed in their opening tie of the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea by the technically stronger North Koreans, who have already secured their passage to the next round of the competition.

The tempo of the game was evident from the start as North Korea started emphatically with back-to-back freekicks in the early exchanges. However, Pakistan almost caused a Korean heartbreak with captain Kaleemullah trying his luck from a bicycle kick on the 9th minute, that didn’t eventually reach it’s intended target.

On the other end, goalkeeper Muzammil battered into the oncoming North Korean attacker and had to receive treatment on 15 minutes. Luckily the shot-stopper was able to continue but still saw the opponents gathering more possession at 59% for the first 18 minutes.

Things began to turn sour on the pitch and subsequently, it was Pakistan’s Mohammad Ahmed who receiving the game’s first booking on 37 minutes, shortly following by a red card to Mansoor Khan, who also gave away a penalty.

North Korea’s So Kyong-Jin made no mistakes from the spot and made it 1-0 for his side at half-time.

Coach Shamlan had spent the entire half motivating his players, but the technically-superior North Koreans were able to restrict Pakistan’s influence on the ball and almost doubled their tally on 61 minutes, only to be thwarted by Muzammil’s goalkeeping.

However, on 67 minutes Jong Ing-Wan essentially killed the tie with North Korea’s second of the game and although Shamlan made changes late on, it wasn’t enough to change the score line.

Pakistan now face China on 22nd September, where a draw would be sufficient enough to secure progress from the group stages.

fonte: http://www.footballpakistan.com/

RPDC – Pakistan 2-0

Un gol per tempo e la Corea chiude la pratica qualificazione assicurandosi il primo posto nel girone. Contro i pakistani è gara semplice, resa ancora più agevole dall’espulsione al 40esimo di Mansoor, per doppia ammonizione. Proprio il secondo fallo del centrocampista pakistano, con un mani in area ha causato il rigore realizzato da So Kyong-Jin. Nella ripresa il raddoppio è messo a segno da Jong Il-Gwan.

Altri risultati seconda giornata:
Gruppo A
Malesia – Laos 4-0
Sud Corea – Arabia Saudita 1-0

Gruppo B
Hong Kong – Afghanistan 2-1
Uzbekistan – Bangladesh 3-0

Gruppo C
Palestina – Tajikistan 2-1
Oman – Singapore 3-3

Gruppo D
Kuwait – Nepal 5-0
Giappone – Iran 1-3

Gruppo E
Maldive – Indonesaia 0-4
Tailandia – Timor Est 3-0

Gruppo G
Giordania – Emirati Arabi 1-0

Gruppo H
Kyrgyzistan – Iran 1-1

Agli ottavi la RPDC inconterà la seconda del girone E, una sfida che coinvolge Indonesia e Tailandia. Gli indonesiani hanno una differenza reti migliore (+11 contro +6) e all’ultima giornata (il 22 settembre) ci sarà lo scontro diretto