“It doesn’t matter because we won by one goal.”
North Korea’s Asian Games men’s soccer team head coach Kim Yong Nam was pleased with the victory despite coming up just short of a goal in a game that could have been a multi-goal affair.
North Korea defeated Kyrgyzstan 1-0 in the second match of their men’s soccer group F match at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games at the Zhejiang Provincial Normal University East Stadium in Jinhua, Zhejiang province, China, on Nov. 21.
North Korea, which won its first match 2-0 against Chinese Taipei on Sept. 19, improved its chances of qualifying for the round of 16 with its second consecutive win to take sole possession of first place (6 points).
North Korea put Kyrgyzstan under intense pressure with their fast flankers, but the only goal came from Kim Kuk-jin in the first 20 minutes.
There were plenty of moments of disappointment, including a 15th-minute header by Ri Joguk from a cross that went just wide of the right side of the goal.
Shin entered the post-match press conference with a determined look on his face.
However, once the press conference started, he said, “We won, so I’m satisfied with the result. It doesn’t matter if we won by a single goal,” he smiled.
North Korea’s performance so far has been good enough to qualify for the quarterfinals.
However, Shin did not reveal his goal beyond “winning” the match.
When asked by a reporter about his goals for the tournament, he said, “We will only prove it with good results. We will continue to show results,” he said simply.
In the stands, about 30 North Korean supporters dressed in matching cheerleading uniforms cheered enthusiastically.
The atmosphere was much more intense than the game against Taiwan, where only four North Korean supporters showed up.
“We were able to win the game because they cheered for us with one heart,” Shin said.
He also thanked the tournament organizers, saying, “(The officials) have been very good to our players and the facilities are good.”
The North Korean athletes remained silent as they passed through the mix zone.
Only one man, who appeared to be a coach, said, “Oh, it’s good,” when asked by a reporter how he felt. 파워볼게임