"First Time Seeing a South Korean Team This Strong"... Ri Yu-il Reveals Surprise Meeting with Hiddink

Ri Yu-il, head manager of North Korea's Naegohyang Women's FC who led the team 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 run.

In an interview with Choson Sinbo, a newspaper of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, released today (July 31), Manager Ri said, "While the final felt like the most memorable match, the hardest hurdle was definitely the semifinal."


Naegohyang advanced to the final by narrowly defeating Suwon FC 2–1 in the tournament's semifinal held at Suwon Civic Stadium on May 20.

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

Good fortune also helped Naegohyang reach the final, with even a penalty kick missing the target.

After making it through the hard-fought semifinal, Naegohyang claimed the title by defeating Japan's Tokyo Verdy 1–0 in the final.

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

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

Manager Ri explained, "In any match, the most difficult opponent is the host nation's team."

He continued, "Our players lack international match experience. That is why we anticipated various situations, prepared extensively, and trained hard. The painstaking preparations paid off in the actual game."


Asked if any managers in international football had influenced him, he revealed his experience interacting with Guus Hiddink, who led the South Korean national team at the 2002 World Cup, saying, "I participated in overseas training sessions where I met world-renowned managers such as Jürgen Klopp and Guus Hiddink, and shared empirical stories with them."

Manager Ri shared that thanks to his mother's involvement in foreign affairs, he was able to learn foreign languages from a young age.

He added, "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 FIFA 2028 Club World Cup starting in October and advance to the final stage."

He added, "If that happens, it will be a major leap forward not only for the Naegohyang team, but also for our (North Korean) and Asian football circles."

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