How North Korea Knocked Out Indonesia from the 2025 AFC U-17 Asian Cup
Reporter
April 16, 2025 | 03:21 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Pak Ju Won delivered an impressive performance for North Korea in their quarter-final clash against Indonesia’s U-17 team at the 2025 AFC U-17 Asian Cup on Monday, April 14, 2025.
Having not featured in the starting lineup during the group stage, he was brought on in the 74th minute of the match.
With his first shot, he scored the final goal in North Korea's 6-0 victory over Indonesia.
"I really wanted to contribute in my first match. I felt like I had been running fast for seven or eight minutes, and I was very surprised because I scored the goal just three minutes after entering," said Pak.
"We carefully listened to our head coach's instructions, O Thae Song, and followed them. Now, the team spirit is really high, and we are very excited about the semifinals," he added.
Pak's goal became the pinnacle of North Korea's victory over Indonesia. In that match, a total of six players contributed to scoring goals since the seventh minute. North Korea's defense also proved to be tough, as they only allowed Indonesia to make one shot on target during the match.
Head coach O Thae Song stated that North Korea's victory was due to thorough preparation.
"We studied their defense and were tactically prepared. Once we obtained the ball, we attacked from the sidelines and attempted long-range shots from all directions."
He admitted that his players were initially nervous facing Indonesia, who had won all matches in the group stage.
"But we grew more confident as the game progressed," he said.
Indonesia U-17 Team coach Nova Arianto expressed satisfaction with his team's achievement. "I am also grateful for the opportunity to play against a team like North Korea. We expected a positive result, but anything can happen in football," he said as quoted from AFC.
"Perhaps the team was slightly disrupted after securing a spot in the 2025 U-17 World Cup. However, we have developed as a result of playing in high-level tournaments like this," Nova added.
The North Korea U-17 Team will face Uzbekistan in the semifinals on Thursday, April 17, 2025.
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