North Korea's Naegohyang beat Tokyo Verdy to win Asian women's club title | ABS-CBN News

North Korea's Naegohyang won the Asian Women's Champions League with a 1-0 victory over Tokyo Verdy Beleza of Japan in the final on Saturday (May 23), with forward Kim Kyong-Yong netting the only goal of the match. Naegohyang, who arrived in Suwon last Sunday (May 17) and beat the hometown team 2-1 in the semi-finals on Wednesday (May 20), are the first North Korean athletes to visit the South in eight years. The rare visit comes as North Korea has in recent years labelled the South its "most hostile state" and ruled out reuniting the nation split by the 1950-1953 Korean War. In Saturday's final, Tokyo Verdy struggled to deal with their opponents' pace and intensity throughout the contest at the Suwon Sports Complex and were repeatedly carved open by counter-attacks, one of which led to Naegohyang's goal. Naegohyang scored on the cusp of halftime after attacker Jong Kum surged forward and outmuscled Tokyo Verdy defender Yuna Aoki on the left wing before sending in a cross for Kim, who netted with a deft finish in the 44th minute. Tokyo Verdy desperately chased an equaliser in the second half, but the Japanese side were unable to break down a disciplined Naegohyang defence and failed to record a single shot on target. Naegohyang captain Kim, who finished the tournament with joint-top four goals, was named the player of the tournament. The victory also means that Naegohyang have qualified for next year's FIFA Women's Champions Cup as well as the inaugural Women's Club World Cup in 2028, with both tournaments featuring teams from around the world. The Asian Women's Champions League, which had its inaugural season in 2024-25, offers prize money of $1 million to champions. (Production: Dogyun Kim, Sebin Choi, Tom Bateman) For more ABS-CBN News videos, click the link below: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgyY1WylJUmgy6PGn5--qRRixkhltg5hE For more Breaking News & Live Coverage videos, click the link below: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgyY1WylJUmgG2ln-vtKXb-oLlGEZc3sR For more latest news and analysis from ABS-CBN News videos, click the link below: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgyY1WylJUmi0mC2kpnrqezd94AAI8jDH For more News Digital News Raw Cuts, click the link below: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgyY1WylJUmiOw9mcoSbzoyp25AAZAAdn Subscribe to the ABS-CBN News channel! - http://bit.ly/TheABSCBNNews Watch full episodes on iWant for FREE here: http://iwanttfc.com Visit our website at http://news.abs-cbn.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abscbnNEWS Twitter: https://twitter.com/abscbnnews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abscbnnews #WomensChampionsLeague #Naegohyang #TokyoVerdyBeleza #ABSCBNNews