Aichi/Nagoya Asian Games: North Korea comfortably defeats Bangladesh 10-0 in the women's soccer league

The first round of the women's soccer league of the Aichi/Nagoya Asian Games began on the 14th, with North Korea defeating Bangladesh 10-0 at Osaka's Nagai Stadium.

North Korea's women's soccer team last won the silver medal at the 2023 Hangzhou Games, losing to Japan in the final. Although they lost to Australia in the quarterfinals of the Women's Asian Cup in March this year, Nae Gohyang won the Women's Asian Champions League (ACL) in May, showing that they are among the top players in Asia.

After that day's game, coach Park Sung-jin said, ``It was our first match, so we did our best. I'm satisfied with our offensive performance.''

FW Lee Sung-ah, a Japanese player who belongs to Hiroshima of the WE League, started and scored his first goal for the national team. With the support of about 1,000 Korean residents in Japan, he said, ``As a Korean resident in Japan, I was born and raised in Osaka, and being able to play for my country is a blessing to me as a soccer player.''

The government has imposed its own sanctions, banning the entry of North Korean nationals in principle, but allowing them to enter the country on an exceptional basis during international sporting events. They were also allowed to enter the country for this tournament.