Phu ThoWinning 2-1 against Iran in the second round of Group C on the afternoon of September 3, North Korea indirectly helped Vietnam have more opportunities to qualify for the 2027 Asian U20 qualifiers.
* Scored: Jannianavaei 47' - Kang Wi-song 90'+3, Kang Myong-bom 90'+5.
At Viet Tri Stadium (Phu Tho) this afternoon, North Korea and Iran played balanced in the first half. But right at the beginning of the second half, the goal appeared. From Amirmoh Karimi's strong throw-in into the penalty area, Moh Jannianavaei headed in with a powerful header to open the score for Iran.
North Korea quickly increased the pressure, causing the ball to almost only roll in Iran's court. Coach O Thae-song's team attacked diversely and came close to equalizing many times, but Kim Yu-jin and Kang Myong-bom missed the mark. Captain Ri hyok-gwang also had a chance to face him but his shot hit goalkeeper Amir Maghsoudhi.
The turning point came in the 79th minute. The Iranian player stole the ball in the middle of the field and quickly passed it to Abolfaiz Khalilian who sped up to face the North Korean goalkeeper and scored, but it was canceled because the referee called for offside. Slow-motion video later showed that this was a mistake by the referee team, when Khalilian started behind the midfield line and there was still a North Korean player standing above.
Having fortunately escaped defeat, North Korea continued to apply suffocating pressure but was powerless. When the match entered injury time, the organizers were even prepared to award the title of best player of the match to goalkeeper Maghsoudhi. But a big surprise turned the situation around in just three minutes.
In the third minute of injury, Pak Kwang-song overlapped Han Il-bok's cross from the left wing into the penalty area, allowing Kang Wi-song to hit the ground with a header to equalize the score 1-1. Two minutes later, Ho Myong-ryong skillfully handled the penalty area before turning and finishing. The ball did not go wide, but the Iranian goalkeeper could not catch it, creating conditions for Kang Myong-bom to rush into the rebound to seal a 2-1 victory.
The North Korean members rushed to each other and hugged each other to celebrate the emotional reversal, while the Iranian side was dumbfounded. The title of best player in the match therefore also changed from Maghsoudhi to Myong-bom. When the match ended, the Iranian goalkeeper got angry and went straight to the tunnel.
This result helps North Korea lead Group C with 6 points, with a difference of +4 after two matches. Iran is behind with 3 points with a difference of 0. Palestine and Vietnam have no points, ranked third and fourth respectively, with a difference of -1 and -3.
Despite defeating Vietnam 3-0 in the opening round, North Korea's comeback against Iran still gave Vietnam a chance to advance. If they beat Palestine 4-0 or 4-1 in the match at 7:00 p.m. today, Vietnam will take second place from Iran. In case of victory by two goals or less, the home team still has the right to decide when they face Iran in the final round on September 6.
Even if Vietnam loses to Palestine, it still hasn't run out of chances. If they win against Iran and Palestine loses to North Korea in the final round, Vietnam will have the same 3 points as Iran and Palestine. The ranking will then be determined based on the difference in head-to-head matches between the three teams. However, this score will make it difficult for teams to compete for a position in the group of 7 best runner-up teams in the qualifying round.
Match schedule and results of Group C U20 Asian qualifiers 2027 Date and Time Match August 31 4:00 p.m. Iran 2-1 Palestine 7:00 p.m. Vietnam 0-3 North Korea September 3 16:00 p.m. North Korea 2-1 Iran 7:00 p.m. Vietnam - Palestine September 6 16:00 p.m. North Korea - Palestine 19:00 p.m. Vietnam - Iran
Group C Ranking Team Match Win Draw Loss Points 1 North Korea 2 2 0 0 6 2 Iran 2 1 0 1 3 3 Palestine 1 0 0 1 0 4 Vietnam 1 0 0 1 0
