Soccer Sigh "North Korea also went to the quarterfinals, but we're out"...As a result of the U-17 Asian Cup, 'despair' → 'shameful and failed journey' was criticized
Soccer Sigh "North Korea also went to the quarterfinals, but we're out"...As a result of the U-17 Asian Cup, 'despair' → 'shameful and failed journey' was criticized
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Chinese media sighed as North Korea's U-17 national soccer team passed the group stage.
Chinese media NetEase reported on Wednesday (Korea time) that North Korea advanced to the U-17 World Cup by surprising Asia by defeating Iran. Of the four East Asian teams, only China was eliminated.
The North Korean U-17 national soccer team, led by head coach Oh Tae-sung, drew 2-2 in the final Group D match of the 2025 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-17 Asian Cup at King Abdullah Sports City Hall Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on the 12th.
On this day, North Korea led with the first goal of striker Kim Yu-jin (April 25th Athletic Team) in the 10th minute of the first half, but allowed an equalizer in the 20th minute of the second half. It seemed to win thanks to winger Lee Kang-rim's (Yeomam Athletic Team) leading again in the 29th minute of the second half, but gave up an equalizer just before the end of the second half, ending the match in a draw.
The game ended in a draw, but North Korea succeeded in achieving its goal.
North Korea, which tied Iran 1-1 in the first group match and defeated Tajikistan 3-0 in the second group match, secured the second place in Group D with one win and two draws (five points). Tajikistan now ranks first with two wins and one loss (six points). Oman (score 4) and Iran (score 1) ranked third and fourth respectively.
The top two teams in the group will advance to the quarterfinals in this tournament. With this, North Korea has qualified for the FIFA U-17 World Cup finals in Qatar in November as it is part of the top eight teams in the U-17 Asian Cup.
Not only North Korea, but also the South Korean U-17 national soccer team led by head coach Baek Ki-tae succeeded in advancing to the quarterfinals of the tournament and succeeded in advancing to the U-17 World Cup finals. A total of eight teams, including South Korea and North Korea, Uzbekistan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Tajikistan, advanced to the tournament.
The Chinese media sighed after the team was confirmed to advance to the quarterfinals. China's U-17 national team, considered the golden generation, was eliminated as it ranked third in Group A.
China lost to Saudi Arabia 1-2 from the first match of the group league and had a red light on its advance to the quarterfinals, but lost to Uzbekistan 1-2 in the second match, confirming its early elimination. China won 2-0 in the third match against Thailand, securing its first win of the tournament.
The media pointed out, "Chinese U-17 players had high expectations at this Asian Cup, but they lost consecutive games in the first and second rounds and were eliminated early in the group stage and missed the possibility of advancing to the U-17 World Cup," adding, "China lost in a very sad and disappointing way at this Asian Cup."
He noted North Korea's achievements. "North Korea knocked out Iran by causing a huge upset," the media said. "No one could have imagined that Iran and Oman, the two Asian powerhouses, would be eliminated by North Korea and Tajikistan until the game."
"The most regrettable thing for domestic fans is that among the four East Asian teams that participated in the Asian Cup, only the Chinese team failed to qualify for the U-17 World Cup," he said. "South Korea, Japan and North Korea all advanced to the quarterfinals and qualified for the U-17 World Cup."
In addition, he criticized the performance of the national team by age, saying, "I have to say that this Asian Cup was another failed and shameful journey for Chinese soccer." 안전놀이터
Meanwhile, South Korea, which succeeded in passing the group stage, will face Tajikistan in the quarterfinals of the tournament. If North Korea topped Group D, it would have clashed with South Korea, which is second in Group C, but it avoided a face-off as it finished the group stage with second place in Group D.