Ho Chi Minh City: Coach Sin Ui-gun conceded he does not hold out much hope that DPR Korea can snatch the AFC U-19 Women's Championship trophy from Japan's grasp when they face China in their final game at Thong Nhat Stadium.
A 2-1 defeat to Japan in their previous encounter means the Koreans need to beat China and hope their East Asian rivals slip up against bottom side Vietnam if they are to win the tournament.
"Tomorrow (Sunday) we will play as normal as we have been. As a matter of fact the fourth match against Japan was the final for our team. Unfortunately we failed and for the next match against China, we don't put much significance on the game," Sin said.
Sin added that he was still confident his side could beat China and confirm second spot but admitted he was already planning improvements to the team ahead of next year's FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Uzbekistan.
"I will make the team stronger and we will have another chance at the World Cup," he said.
China coach Yin Tiesheng admitted he was still ruing the last minute equaliser in the game against Japan.
China drew 1-1 with the defending champions in their first game after conceding in the 92nd minute. If they had won that game, they would sit top of the table and would take the title with a defeat of DPR Korea.
The draw, though, means they lie two points behind Japan and also must hope the latter fail to overcome Vietnam to have any chance of taking the title.
Asked if that result was still on his mind, Yin replied: "Yes. I am a little disappointed but that is football and we will try our best and hope we can get a better result next tournament. We will try our best in the last match and hopefully we can win."
Yin hailed the competition as a success for his side after they secured a place in the U-20 World Cup.
"For the organisation of the tournament, I should thank the organising committee for the accommodation, transportation and so on. Mostly we achieved our goals for the matches," he added.
"We prepared a lot for the tournament and seeing from the result we almost performed the way we should do but we are not so stable and we need to improve our technique and teamwork."