North Korea beats Spain in penalty shootout to win U-17 Women's World Cup
North Korea beats Spain in penalty shootout to win U-17 Women's World Cup
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North Korea's women's soccer team has lifted the U-17 World Cup trophy.
North Korea won the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup 2024 final on Thursday at the Estadio Olimpico Felix Sanchez in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, 4-3 in penalty kicks after playing Spain to a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes.
North Korea lifted the trophy for the third time in eight years after winning the 2016 tournament in Jordan.
It also ended a bad run against Spain that included a 0-1 loss in the 2010 third-place match in Trinidad and Tobago and a penalty shootout defeat in the 2018 quarterfinals in Uruguay.
Spain attempted to win a third straight tournament after 2018 and 2022, but had to settle for runner-up honors after falling to North Korea on their knees.
After defeating the United States 1-0 and England 3-0 in the semifinals, the final between North Korea and Spain was a much more controlled affair.
North Korea were in trouble from the start.
In the second minute of the first half, a Spanish counterattack left Celia Segura one-on-one with the goalkeeper and she fired a right-footed shot, but Park Ju-kyung narrowed her angle to make the save.
In the 42nd minute, there was a brief scuffle between Park Ju-kyong, North Korea's Ri Guk-hyang, and Spain's Alba Serrato as they tried to handle an aerial ball, 토토사이트 and the North Korean defense was able to clear the ball into an empty net.
North Korea gave Spain the lead in the 16th minute of the second half.
Pau Commendador whipped in a low cross from the left flank, and Segura, who was racing toward the opposite post, rattled the net with a low left-footed finish.
North Korea responded immediately with a goal of their own. It was a three-goal sequence that saw the North Koreans score three times.
In the 19th minute, Roh Un-hyang's long pass broke down the Spanish defense in one fell swoop, and Jeon Il-chong sprinted from the left flank to the center, beating the goalkeeper and splitting the goal with a right-footed shot.
Shortly afterward, the referees used video assistant referee (VAR) to determine if Jeon was offside, and the North Koreans celebrated to their hearts' content as Jeon's toe was ruled to be behind the Spanish defense by a small margin.
The Spanish bench then requested a VAR review to determine if North Korea had been fouled in the previous ball contest. The officials saw nothing wrong with the play and allowed North Korea's goal to stand, and the North Koreans high-fived and smiled for the third time.
North Korea had a chance in the 30th minute of the second half when Serato fired a right-footed shot on goal, but Park Ju-Kyung made a fine save.
With neither team able to find the back of the net, the tournament went to penalty kicks to decide the winner.
The two teams' second kickers, Iris Santiago and Jeong Bok-young, had their shots saved by their respective goalkeepers.
The third kicker, Commendador, had a shot that sailed wide left of the goal, while Roh Woon-hyang converted cleanly.
The North Koreans then rattled the net cleanly without conceding a goal, and cried tears of joy as they beat Spain 4-3 in the penalty shootout.
“The first thing I want to say to my dear father, Marshal Kim Jong Un, is that I'm happy, I'm happy and I'm crying,” Park Ju-kyong told FIFA after the match.
Song Sung Kwon, head coach of the North Korean national team, said: “We beat the strongest team in Europe, Spain. I am proud that the strongest team in Asia has become the strongest team in the world,” he said.
North Korea, which won the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-17 Women's Asian Cup in May, also reached the top of the World Cup.
North Korea also won the U-20 Women's World Cup in Colombia in September, repeating as champions for the first time in eight years, underscoring the power of women's soccer.
At the awards ceremony following the final, Jeon Il-chong was honored with the Golden Ball, the tournament's Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
After scoring six goals at the U-17 Asian Cup to top the scoring charts, Jeon won the Golden Ball at the World Cup and became North Korea's ace in the hole.