Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Wuhan: Kim Pom-ui netted a hat-trick as DPR Korea qualified for the semi-finals of the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship with a game to spare after defeating Uzbekistan 4-0 at Hankou Culture & Sports Centre Stadium on Saturday.
As they had been in their 4-0 defeat to defending champions Japan in their Group B opener, Uzbekistan proved hard to breakdown in the opening 45 minutes until Kim broke the deadlock in first-half stoppage time.
Kim scored her second early in the second half and completed her treble after Choe Un-chong added a third as DPR Korea assured their progression into the final four ahead of Monday’s top-of-the-table clash with Japan, who defeated Chinese Taipei 6-0 in Saturday’s other tie.
“We are satisfied by the result of the game which went as we had expected,” said DPR Korea coach Hwang Yong-song.
“We were confident ahead of the match that we had the edge in terms of physical and technical ability as so it proved to be.
“I am very pleased by the performance of Kim Pom-ui today; she is a very good player and she has proven so before.”
Having defeated Chinese Taipei in their tournament opener with two goals inside the first 10 minutes, DPR Korea looked to begin the match in similar fashion and set the pace from the kick-off with their first shot of note coming on eight minutes from Kim’s 20-yard free-kick that was saved by Maftuna Jonimqulova.
Striker Ri Hae-yon almost turned provider on 21 minutes as her header inside the area found Kim unmarked at the back post but the midfielder could only stab the ball narrowly wide as DPR Korea cranked up the pressure on the Uzbek goal.
Jon Sum-sim then thought she had given DPR Korea the lead with a lob over Jonimqulova only to see a furiously backtracking Shokhida Tojiddinova clear the danger with a last-gasp clearance on the goal-line.
But on the stroke of half-time, Hwang ’s side finally made the breakthrough as Sung Hyang-sim’s cross from the right was hooked in on the volley by Kim for her second goal of the tournament to put DPR Korea 1-0 up.
And Kim did not have to wait long for her third of the campaign as Sung found her inside the penalty area in the 54th minute before she jinked inside a challenge and fired past an exposed Jonimqulova with aplomb.
DPR Korea remained on top and gave Uzbekistan a mountain to climb on 70 minutes when Choe’s cross-cum-shot into the box was dummied by Ri Hae-yon and flummoxed Jonimqulov, allowing the ball to creep inside the far post for the game’s third goal.
With 12 minutes remaining Kim netted her third of the match, and tournament-leading fourth of the competition, from close range after being picked out by substitute Ri Un-jong’s left-wing cross to make it 4-0, before the latter herself went inches from a goal with a furious drive from the left that rattled the crossbar as DPR Korea finished the match as strongly as they had begun.
“During the first half we tried to play a defensive game, but conceding a goal just before half-time was terrible and affected our players,” said Uzbekistan coach Bahrom Norsafarov, who will now prepare his side to take on Chinese Taipei for third place in Group B on Monday.
“I tried to change the situation with some substitutions but things didn’t change. I think psychologically it was a very difficult game for the girls.”
Photo: WSG