Defending Champs DPR Korea Downs Palestine 2-0 to Return to AFC Challenge Cup Final

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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DPR Korea will defend their AFC Cup Challenge title against the side the beat in 2010 after the Chollima defeated Palestine 2-0 to set up Monday’s showdown with Turkmenistan.

Pak Kwang-ryong opened the scoring three minutes remaining of the first-half of Friday’s semi-final at the Dashrath Stadium left to play before getting his and DPR Korea’s second in the 69^th minute as the defending champions preserved their 100% record.

The defending champions marched through the group phase with ruthless efficiency, easing past the Philippines (2-0), Tajikistan (2-0) and India (4-0) on route to the semi-final showdown with Palestine, who finished runners-up to Turkmenistan following 2-0 victories over hosts Nepal and the Maldives either side of their goalless draw with the eventual finalists.

But DPR Korea proved too strong for the Palestinians as the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers comfortably justified their title favourites tag.

Pak Kwang-ryong’s seventh minute header that flew high over the bar aside, neither side creating any clear cut chance in the opening ten minutes as 2010 champions and the first semi-finalists from West Asia in the history of the AFC Challenge Cup sounded each other out in the opening exchanges.

Whether it was due to an injury or the desire to add more impetus to a side that was struggling to break through the Palestine defence, DPR Korea coach Yun Jong-su replaced striker Jang Myong-il with Jang Kuk-chol with just 16 minutes played.

The Jang-for-Jang switch did little to alter the stop-start pattern of the match and it wasn’t until the 25^thminute when the Koreans had another threat on goal, with substitute Jang glancing Pak Nam-chol’s cross wide before Pak saw his long-range effort go just inches keeper Ramzi Saleh’s left post.

The defending champions were piling on the pressure and almost took the lead four minutes later but Pak Kwan-ryong’s diverted a magnificent ball from right-back Ri kwang-hyok wide with a diving header.

And with three minutes of the first-half to play the North Koreans made the breakthrough with Pak Kwang-ryong firing the ball into the Palestine net after an earlier shot had bounced back off the underside of the crossbar.

The goal came at a cost for the Koreans with substitute Jang Kuk-chol taking a knock in the build-up to the goal resulting in the substitute himself having to be substituted with Kim Ju-song entering the fray in the stroke of half-time.

DPR Korea carried on from where they left off and continued to dominate possession, with Saleh comfortably keeping out Pak Kwang-ryong’s 55^th minute header following another inviting assist from Pak Nam-chol.

Pak Nam-chol was gain the source of his side’s next threat when his 67^th minute corner was headed goalward by An Yong-hak only for the Kashiwa Reysol midfielder’s effort to be cleared off the line by a Palestine defender.

But the second goal, and final, did come two minutes later when Pak Kwang-ryong capitalised on poor Palestinian defending, skipped past Saleh with ease and side-footed the ball into the empty net to cap a comfortable win.