"First Time Seeing a South Korean Team of This Level"… Revealing Surprise Meeting with Hiddink

Ri Yu-il, the head manager who led North Korea's Naegohyang Women's Football Club to victory in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Champions League (AWCL), picked the semifinal match against Suwon FC Women as the toughest hurdle in their championship journey.

In an interview with Choson Sinbo, the organ of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, released today (the 31st), Manager Ri said, "While the final seemed like the most memorable match, the most difficult hurdle was definitely the semifinal."


Naegohyang advanced to the final after a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Suwon FC in the tournament semifinal held at Suwon Civil Stadium on May 20.

During the semifinal, played amidst heavy rain, Suwon FC's shots hit the goalpost twice.

Even a penalty kick missed the target, and fortune also aided Naegohyang's advance to the final.

After making it through with difficulty, Naegohyang claimed the championship by defeating Japan's Tokyo Verdy 1-0 in the final.

Manager Ri stated that he has never lost a single match in his four encounters against South Korean teams so far.

Reflecting on Suwon FC, he recalled, "It was the first time I encountered a team of such a high level as this one. Furthermore, the match took place at the opponent's home stadium."

Manager Ri explained, "In any competition, the most difficult opponent is always the host country's team."

He added, "Our players lack international match experience. That is why we anticipated various situations, prepared extensively, and trained hard. The effort we put into our preparation paid off in the actual match."


When asked if there are any managers in the international football world who have influenced him, he revealed his experience interacting with Guus Hiddink, who led the South Korean national team in the 2002 World Cup, saying, "I attended overseas coaching seminars where I met world-renowned managers including Jürgen Klopp and Guus Hiddink, and shared experiences with them."

Manager Ri shared that thanks to his mother engaging in foreign trade business, he was able to learn foreign languages from a young age.

He remarked, "I was able to communicate comfortably in foreign languages with world-renowned managers like Guus Hiddink and Pep Guardiola."

Regarding future goals, he emphasized, "While maintaining our status as a powerhouse in Asia, we must get through the qualifiers for the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) 2028 Club World Cup starting in October and advance to the final stage matches."

He added, "If we do that, it will be a major step forward not only for the Naegohyang team, but also for our (North Korean) football community and Asian football as a whole."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.