North Korea secured their place in the Asian Games women's final by defeating China 2-0 in the semi-finals on 29 September 2026. The result sees them advance while their opponents will now play for third place. Both sides entered the match level at the top of their group standings with seven points from three games.
China took an early lead through discipline, with Zhang Rui receiving a yellow card in the 29th minute and Sun Fangxin following suit five minutes later. The visitors then added to their disciplinary troubles when Z. Xiao was booked in the 49th minute. And here's the thing — the match turned on a moment of confusion rather than clear attacking play.
North Korea broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute through an own goal by W. Yao. The visitors had been managing the game until that point, but a defensive error handed the hosts the lead. By then the yellow card count was already mounting against China, and it seemed to affect their composure.
The second goal came in the 79th minute when Myong Yu-Jong ended a quiet spell to double North Korea's advantage. The visitors made several changes in an attempt to respond, with Sun Fangxin substituted in the 56th minute and Zhang Chengxue coming on in the 87th minute. North Korea brought on Kim Kyong-Yong in the 63rd minute and brought on two players in stoppage time.
Both teams had identical records heading into this fixture — three games, two wins, one draw, zero losses, seven points each. North Korea's recent form has been dominant with victories over Bangladesh, Myanmar and Chinese Taipei, while China had beaten Vietnam twice and the Philippines during the group stage.
The result means North Korea will compete for the Asian Games title, while China must now focus on securing third place. The semi-final victory keeps them on course for gold, having already demonstrated their attacking capability throughout the tournament.
