(Asiad) N. Korea pound Bangladesh to open women's football tournament
NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 14 (Yonhap) -- North Korea kicked off their Asian Games women's football competition with a 10-0 rout of Bangladesh in Japan on Monday.
Chae Un-yong of North Korea (C) is congratulated by teammates after scoring against Bangladesh during the teams' Group F match of the women's football tournament at the Asian Games at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan, on Sept. 14, 2026. (Yonhap)
Chae Un-yong, Jon Ryong-jong and Kim Kyong-yong each grabbed a brace, and Hwang Yu-yong had the other in a seven-goal first half for North Korea at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, some 140 kilometers west of the main host city, Nagoya. The North Koreans tacked on three more goals in the latter half to complete the breezy win.
The largely empty stadium featured hundreds of Japanese residents of North Korean descent decked out in red shirts, matching the color of the team on the pitch.
Those fans were mostly students from Osaka and Kyoto, but a senior official of the group declined to speak with a Yonhap News Agency reporter on the scene, citing a directive from his superiors.
The official also asked the reporter not to attempt to interview any member of the cheering group.
The North Koreans are pursuing their first Asiad gold medal since 2014. They will next play Myanmar on Thursday and then South Korea next Monday.
Fans cheer for the North Korean women's national football team during their match against Bangladesh at the Asian Games at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan, on Sept. 14, 2026. (Yonhap)
North Korean players wave to a fan holding their national flag after beating Bangladesh 10-0 in the teams' Group F match of the Asian Games at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan, on Sept. 14, 2026. (Yonhap)
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