South Korea coach says team was hurt after support for North side

SEOUL: Suwon FC Women coach Park Kil-young said his side felt hurt by the atmosphere around their Asian Women’s Champions League semi-final after the South Korean club lost 2-1 at home to North Korea’s Naegohyang Women’s FC.

The match, played on Wednesday at Suwon Sports Complex Stadium in heavy rain, marked the first visit by a North Korean sports team to South Korea in eight years. The rare inter-Korean fixture drew strong public interest, with 7,087 general admission tickets selling out within hours of going on sale last week. The official attendance was 5,763.

A sizeable section of the crowd included spectators from civic groups supported by Seoul’s unification ministry, who were present to cheer both teams. Naegohyang’s arrival at Incheon International Airport on Sunday had also attracted intense attention, with players and officials met by large numbers of reporters and supporters carrying welcome signs.

Coach speaks after defeat

Park said the unusual level of attention surrounding the game had an impact on his players.

"We are Suwon FC Women of the Republic of Korea," he said, struggling to control his emotions. "Throughout the match, our players and our staff felt hurt."

There were no official away supporters at the stadium because North Koreans are generally not permitted to enter the South. The two Koreas have technically remained at war since 1950.

Suwon still had backing from home fans, with supporters beating drums and chanting for the team. Park said his players were not used to such a large audience or such intense media scrutiny.

"We needed to win today to draw more attention to women's football here, and our players competed so hard with that in mind," he said. "Hopefully, this match will help people take more interest in our sport and make them come to more matches."

Naegohyang reach final

Naegohyang recovered after falling behind to secure a 2-1 win and advance to Saturday’s final, where they will face Japan’s Tokyo Verdy Beleza in Suwon.

Suwon had an opportunity to level the score with a little more than 10 minutes remaining, but captain Ji So-yun missed a penalty.

Naegohyang coach Ri Yu Il, who previously coached North Korea’s women’s national team, said the atmosphere added to the significance of the occasion.

"It was a very intense match and we were too caught up in it to be too conscious of the cheering," said Naegohyang coach Ri Yu Il, who formerly led North Korea's women's national team. "However, I felt that people here have such a high level of interest in football."

The match was one of the most closely watched women’s club fixtures in the region in recent years because of the political and sporting significance of a North Korean team playing in the South. The result sent Naegohyang into the competition’s final and ended Suwon’s run in front of a home crowd that had turned out in large numbers despite the weather.