North Koreans open World Cup defence against NigeriaSunday, September 5 2010
NORTH KOREA will begin their defence of the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup today when they face Nigeria in the opening match of the tournament, from 3 pm, at the Hasely Crawford Stadium in Mucurapo.
Over the past few years, North Korea have developed into something of a superpower in the women’s game, consistently performing well in big competitions thanks to their disciplined play and unrivalled passing game.
“We hold women’s football in high regard,” said coach Ri Song Gun, in a recent interview on the FIFA.com website. “We’ve put a lot of effort in over recent years to produce good results and that is why our women’s teams are so competitive.”
But Ri is being modest about his team’s chances of retaining their crown.
“I don’t think that we’re the favourites.
If you look at past results, Germany looks to be more experienced and have a better chance of winning the tournament.” Despite Ri’s protestations, the North Koreans look to be every bit as good as their rivals.
Indeed, they comfortably reached the final of the 2009 Asian Under-16 Women’s Championship to qualify for Trinidad and Tobago 2010, though the subsequent 4-0 reverse to southern neighbours Korea Republic was a painful blow.
“We may be a little weak physically, but my players have more than enough individual skill to overcome this,” explained Ri, with gifted striker Kim Kum Jong and defender Pong Son Hwa cases in point.
However, he is hopeful that the current squad can indeed return home with the trophy, just as they did in the inaugural tournament in New Zealand.
“They are obviously aware of what their predecessors achieved,” said Ri. “It’s impossible to say whether we will be able to write our name in the annals of this tournament a second time, but I have to say, I see a lot of similarities between the 2010 generation and the squad that won in 2008.”
Nigeria coach Peter Dedevbo will be looking for a fast start in their opener against North Korea.
If things do not go well in the first match there should be time to recover against two tournament debutantes: the hosts Trinidad and Tobago and Chile, who finished second in South American qualifying.
“This is not the time to lower our guard now that Nigerians are turning to women’s football,” said Dedevbo.
