North Korea seek Olympic 'glory' in qualifying showdown with Japan

The two sides drew 0-0 in Saturday's first leg on neutral ground in Saudi Arabia and the winners will claim one of two Asian berths at the Games. Ri said his players would "draw power from representing our country" at Tokyo's National Stadium but warned that Japan would feel the same passion. "The Japan team and the North Korea team both have their nation's flags on their shirts," he said on the eve of the game.

"We are representing our country and we want to qualify for the Paris Olympics for the glory of our country. "We want to show our quality, just like every country does." The first leg was played in Jeddah after Japan's football association asked Asian officials to move it from Pyongyang over a lack of operational transparency and a scarcity of flights.

The venue was not confirmed until just days before the game and Japan captain Saki Kumagai criticised officials for leaving it so late. The North Korean team arrived in Tokyo for the return leg a day earlier than Japan and were greeted at the airport by a large group of their fans. North Korean supporters are also expected to come out in force for the game and Ri said "it won't be like an away game - it will be like we're coming home".

"We have a lot of young players and this is their first time in Japan," he said. "They are in a foreign country so they feel some anxiety but our compatriots coming to meet them at the airport really made them happy."

 

February 24, 2024

Japan stay focused

North Korea returned to international football at last year's Asian Games for the first time since before the coronavirus pandemic and lost 4-1 to Japan in the final in Hangzhou. They have qualified for the Olympics twice before, with their most recent appearance coming at the 2012 London Games. Japan won the silver medal at that year's tournament but they missed out on qualification for the Rio Games four years later.

They were eliminated in the quarter-finals at the pandemic-postponed Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Coach Futoshi Ikeda said the game would be "like a final" but warned his players they will need to play hard against a physical North Korea side. "Of course we need to score to win the game, and to score we need to be aggressive going forward," he said.

"I want all the players to be more careful with their positioning than they were in the first leg. "North Korea will play long balls and we need to make sure we win those second balls." Ikeda said there were "all kinds of uncertainties" going into the first leg but praised his players for the way they handled it.

"All the players and staff were able to focus on the game," he said. "I think the Japanese players' ability to adapt and maintain concentration is excellent and a real strong point.