Tokyo Verdy Beleza Coach Expects Tough AFC Final Against North Korean Side

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, May 22 (Yonhap) -- Sitting a win away from claiming the top Asian women's club football prize, Tokyo Verdy Beleza head coach Naoki Kusunose said Friday he expects a difficult showdown against his North Korean opponent.

Tokyo Verdy Beleza will take on Naegohyang Women's FC of North Korea in the final of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Champions League at 2 p.m. Saturday at Suwon Stadium in Suwon, 30 kilometers south of Seoul.

This is the second edition of the Women's Champions League, and both clubs are playing in the competition for the first time. In Wednesday's semifinals, Tokyo Verdy Beleza knocked off Melbourne City FC 3-1, while Naegohyang defeated South Korea's Suwon FC Women 2-1.

"For the entire team, the goal is to win the Asian title," Kusunose said at his prematch press conference Friday. "We're happy to have reached the final, and we will try our best and play our brand of football."

Kusunose's team blanked Naegohyang 4-0 in their Group C meeting in November last year, but the coach predicted things will not be so easy this time.

"Naegohyang have made some changes to their squad, and they are a very good team in terms of power and speed," the Japanese tactician said. "Even though we beat them in the group stage, this match won't be as simple as the last one. If we don't play at our best, we may be pushed around."

Prior to the inception of the Women's Champions League, the AFC ran the Women's Club Championship from 2019 to 2024 as a pilot competition. Tokyo Verdy Beleza won the 2019 edition, which was also held in South Korea.

"I didn't know the team won the club title seven years ago, Kusunose said. "Winning a tournament as big as this will be important not only for Tokyo Verdy Beleza but also for Japanese football as a whole."

Defender Tomoko Muramatsu said she and her teammates had long set their sights on the AFC trophy since the start of the group stage.

"I believe we can win the title if we play our game, and winning the trophy here will be a great opportunity to demonstrate our football to the rest of the world," she said. "It will be an important occasion for us to see how we stack up."

The champions will take home US$1 million in prize money, while the runners-up will receive $500,000.