North Korea scored their first Asian Cup goal in 23 years yesterday, but it was not enough to stop Saudi Arabia from dashing their hopes of an upset by storming back for a 4-1 win.
A second loss in Group B left the North Korean squad all but eliminated, while breathing new life into a Saudi campaign that had been flagging after they were stunned 1-0 by China in their opening game at the weekend.
North Korea picked up a yellow card after just 15 seconds when Jong Il-gwan, who is being tracked by Newcastle United, went into the book for a wild lunge.
Photo: AFP
They continued to tear into the Saudi side as they went in search of a first Asian Cup victory since 1980 and the dream was looking realistic after 11 minutes when Japan-based Ryang Yong-gi slammed in the rebound after Pak Kwang-ryong’s fierce drive had been parried by goalkeeper Waleed Abdullah.
However, Naif Hazazi equalized with a clinical finish against the run of play eight minutes before the interval. The Saudi forward’s joy was unbridled, after having fluffed a penalty in their shock 1-0 loss to China.
Strike partner Mohammed al-Sahlawi poked the Gulf side in front seven minutes after the break, before profiting from some horror defending to roll in a third moments later as North Korea began to unravel.
Saudi Arabia, who won the last of their three Asian Cup titles in 1996, continued to press, with al-Sahlawi squandering a golden chance to complete his hat-trick by dragging wide when clean through on goal.
Nawaf al-Abid added a fourth after reacting sharply to having his penalty saved by Ri Myong-guk. Midfielder Ri Yong-jik conceded the spot-kick and was given his marching orders for handling the ball after al-Abid’s delicate chip came back off the bar.
“I told Nawaf to take the penalty after what happened against China,” Saudi Arabia’s Romanian coach Cosmin Olaroiu said. “We will score the next one.”
The North Korea players are unlikely to receive the cars and apartments Pyongyang lavishes on athletes who bring glory to the state, but at least had the consolation of being cheered to the rafters by a crowd of 12,000 in Melbourne for their plucky display.
“Nobody will be happy with this result,” North Korea coach Jo Tong-sop said when asked how he thought North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, an avid sports fan, would react to the defeat.
Media reports claimed the players and coaching staff who flopped at the 2010 FIFA World Cup were subjected to a six-hour public inquisition for “betraying” North Korea’s ideological struggle before being sent to work on a building site.
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