AFC Cup (Club)

[MipoFanatic]

Wow. According to Wikipedia the winner of the league on that side is unknown O.o

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DPR_Korea ... ue_history

For 2012, you mean?

April 25 belongs to the army. No wonder they win most of the time. They are likely the only team that eats 7 days a week.

Oh, I'm sure the northern version of the Greeners and other Pyeongyang clubs all feed their players well.

[OttoSilver]

For 2012, you mean?

Yes, my bad. >.<

Oh, I'm sure the northern version of the Greeners and other Pyeongyang clubs all feed their players well.

I was being silly

[MipoFanatic]

I know.

[MipoFanatic]

Two North Korean clubs have been entered into the 2017 AFC Cup.

Kigwancha (2016 Mangyongdae Prize Sports Games runners-up) enter at the playoff stage, and will face the winner of the preliminary round match between Erchim (Mongolia) and Tatung (Taiwan) in a two-leg affair held in late February.

If Kigwancha proceed (and it's very likely they will), they'll contest Group I against fellow North Korean club April 25, Rovers (Guam), and Taiwan Power Company from March through May.

The winner of Group I will advance to the inter-zonal playoff semi-finals, which is the third-last round of the AFC Cup.

Rovers (Guam), Tatung (Taiwan), and Taiwan Power Company have all withdrawn from the 2017 AFC Cup (it's a tin-pot competition), so Kigwancha (North Korea) and Erchim (Mongolia) have advanced to the group stage.

Group I now consists of Kigwancha (North Korea), April 25 (North Korea) and Erchim (Mongolia). The first match will be held on March 14.

[OttoSilver]

The team from Taiwan seems to be the only team with a history on Soccerway. Apparently the Korean and Thai teams came from nowhere and are yet to play any games. O.o

[MipoFanatic]

First group-stage result for the Norks: April 25 (DPRK) 6-0 Erchim (Mongolia).

[MipoFanatic]

April 25 won their three-club group in the AFC Cup. The group consisted of North Korean clubs April 25 and Kigwancha taking turns kicking lumps out of Mongolian side Erchim.

The North Koreans finished level against each other on both occasions, so ultimately a comparative goal difference of +1 for April 25 puts them through to the next round (Inter-zone playoff semi-finals), which begins August 22. Their opponent will either be from India, Tajikistan, or a yet-to-be-determined country.

[MipoFanatic]

Nork club April 25 played their first AFC Cup inter-zone play-off semi-final away to Indian side Bengaluru FC, with the Koreans losing the first leg 3-0. All three goals by native Indian players.

Second leg in Pyongyang to be played Sept 13.

[MipoFanatic]

Second leg finished 0-0, so the Norks lose 3-0 aggregate.

Time for some hard labour, then?

[eujin]

Something from the Bbc about Bengaluru's away trip to North Korea.

North Korea: Bengaluru FC's Erik Paartalu on missile launches, lost baggage and Kim Jong-un memes

""They had two penalty claims and there were a few murmurings from the crowd. When their striker got subbed late in the second half I heard them clap, apparently they don't like him.

We just focused on what we were doing, they attacked and we defended, we just wanted to get a result. They were very dominant and the better team in the second leg. North Korean football is extremely strong, we saw first hand that 4.25 had all the facilities in the world, they train like absolute machines and will always be a strong nation."

"After the game I got a big hug from their striker and he said congratulations with a smile on his face. I thought, 'I did not expect you to speak English and to do it with a smile on your face and being humble'. Sport does really bring people together, that is the beautiful game."

[MipoFanatic]

Goal highlights from North Korean club Hwaebul playing away to Mongolian side Erchim in AFC Cup qualifying:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIjNnAAvp34

And the full match: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgpRrTRaF54