Japan U23 held on to beat North Korea U23 1-0 in the Asian Games quarter-finals on Friday. The hosts were already unbeaten after 3 games, but this one felt different from the routs against Thailand and Kyrgyzstan. To be fair, North Korea had their moments, but they couldn't find the net when it mattered.
The decisive moment came just before the break. Brian Nwadik got over the line in the 39th minute to break the deadlock. It was a thin margin, really, as North Korea had pinned them back earlier. I recall the game being quiet around the 20th minute, but the tension shifted quickly.
The game tightened up when Rei Umeki picked up a yellow card in the 26th minute. North Korea tried to respond, but Ri Il-Song went offside for the second booking in the 61st minute. The visitors were out of sight by half-time, yet they refused to go away. 2 more yellows followed late on for Kim Yu-Song and Choe Ryong-il, showing the frustration building on the pitch. And here's the thing, the referee let them play on despite the growing temper.
North Korea made 3 changes at the break, bringing on Yom Chol-gyong, Yotaro Nakajima and Yuya Fukunaga. They played the second half a man up for a while after Ri Il-Song was replaced in the 79th minute. Japan responded by bringing on Yudai Shimamoto and Brian Nwadik in the 82nd minute to see out the result.
The stats told a different story than the scoreline. North Korea had 54% possession compared to 46%, but their shots accuracy was just 19%. The hosts kept it simple, hitting 50% accuracy with 4 shots on target. It wasn't a game of chances, really, just a single moment that decided everything.
Japan moves on to the semi-finals, extending their perfect run. North Korea's campaign ends here despite the strong start with a win against Iran. The history between them adds an edge, but today the hosts held every card.
