The location of this meeting was unusual. North Korea was the host matchbut it was not played in Pyongyang – the capital of this country – but in Laos. This is nothing new. North Korea has long been playing matches home “away”, although officials from that country always assure that they will soon return to Pyongyang. The official reasons for playing in Laos are not known.
Crazy match in Laos. What a goal by North Korea!
This decision makes the Koreans' qualifying matches more like pre-season friendlies. The stadium is almost empty during their matches. It was no different during Tuesday's clash with Qatar. And those absent have something to regret! North Korea is a mysterious team. Its real strength is difficult to estimate. It is only 110th in the FIFA rankings, but today's game showed that even against one of the best teams in Asia (Qatar is ranked 34th in FIFA) it can show its claws.
It was North Korea who took the lead in the 19th minute of the match. Il-Song Ri, just 20, received the ball on the left wing, cut inside and unleashed a powerful strike from outside the penalty area. The Qatari goalkeeper had no chance of saving it effectively.
Sensational result in World Cup qualifiers. North Korea wipes out favorites
A few minutes later, the Koreans had a huge problem. After VAR intervention – the referee initially blew offside – Qatar received a penalty. In addition, the captain of the North Korean team received a red card. Kuk-chol Jang demanded another VAR intervention, but eventually had to leave the pitch. Qatar equalized.
The Qataris took the lead in the first half. An incredible goal was scored in the 44th minute by Almoez Ali, who fired a powerful shot into the top corner from just outside the penalty area.
It seemed that North Korea had no chance of a positive result. They played with 10 players, with almost empty stands, and on top of that they conceded a goal just before the break. However, the weather came to their rescue.
It was raining heavily from the beginning of the second half. The situation on the pitch was getting worse with every minute. The Koreans were better in these conditions, and they were getting into situations more and more often. In the 51st minute, you could barely see anything. Then North Korea received a free kick. It seemed that Kuk-chol Kang would cross, but the winger decided to shoot directly. Even in perfect conditions, the Qatari goalkeeper would have no chance of saving this shot.
A few minutes later, the referee stopped the match. The rain made it impossible to play. The ball stopped in puddles. It was only when the rain stopped and the riot police removed some of the water from the pitch that the game was resumed. Qatar tried to score the winning goal, but they were no longer able to beat the North Korean goalkeeper. You can see a summary of the match and the goal in the video below.
Draw North Korea with Qatar, the recent host of the World Cup, is a huge surprise. After two matches in the third phase of qualification, the Koreans are in 4th place in their group. Qatar is surprisingly last and in sixth position. This is not the only surprise in the Asian qualifiers today. The Australian team unexpectedly drew 0-0 with Indonesia.