Portugal notch magnificent seven

Portugal turned on the style to thrash Korea DPR 7-0 at Green Point Stadium and take a huge step towards a place in the Round of 16.

Only a Raul Meireles goal divided the teams after a closely contested first half but it was a different story after the restart when Portugal devastated the North Korean defence with three goals inside eight minutes before the hour from Simao, Hugo Almeida and Tiago. With the clock ticking down, Liedson, Cristiano Ronaldo and Tiago again compounded their opponents' woes to produce Portugal's biggest FIFA World Cup™ victory and the widest winning margin so far in South Africa.

There were few parallels to draw with the teams' previous meeting on the world stage, their 1966 quarter-final in England when Eusebio – watching from the stands in Cape Town – so famously struck four goals as Portugal retrieved a three-goal deficit. There will be no repeat run from the North Koreans this time, their second defeat in Group G confirming their elimination. Portugal, by contrast, sit second in the section, with a three-point advantage over Côte d’Ivoire – and overwhelming gulf in goal difference – ahead of their final game against Brazil.

Carlos Queiroz's men made a positive start with defender Ricardo Carvalho nodding Simao's corner against the far post after seven minutes. As against Brazil in their opening 2-1 defeat, Korea DPR looked in no way overawed, however. With the rain teeming down, the Koreans pieced together a slick move on the fast surface that almost let in Jong Tae-Se only for the No9 to fail to control the through-ball. Otherwise, when they had the chance to shoot, they took it. Cha Jong-Hyok speared an effort just wide from distance, then Hong Yong-Jo arrowed in a shot from the right that Eduardo parried, Pak Nam-Chol failing to keep his header down on the follow-up.

Indeed Portugal coach Queiroz might have been forgiven a short sigh of relief when midfielder Meireles gave his side the lead in the 29th minute, timing his run into the North Korean box perfectly to meet Tiago's pass and drive the ball low past Ri Myong-Guk. A goal to the good, Portugal ended the half on top. Meireles sliced a shot wide before Fabio Coentrao teed up Hugo Almeida with a low centre but the big striker's attempted flick failed to come off.

Portugal did not have to wait long to double their advantage after the restart. Korea DPR custodian Ri Myong-Guk had already tipped over Tiago’s shot when Simao made it 2-0 in the 53rd minute. There was some impressive build-up play as Almeida backheeled to Meireles who played in Simao to slide the ball past Ri Myong-Guk. Within three minutes it was 3-0, Tiago sending Coentrao down the left and the full-back crossing for Almeida to nod past the goalkeeper. Portugal were now tearing them apart and by the hour they had their fourth goal, Tiago finding the net from Ronaldo's lay-off.

Meireles and Coentrao missed chances to underline their dominance, before Ronaldo rattled the crossbar with a spectacular strike. Yet in a late flurry, Portugal forced open the floodgates once more. Ri Kwang-Chon's mistake let in substitute Liedson to smash a shot high into the net. Ronaldo then opened his account after Liedson took advantage of some sloppy play in the Korean defence to play in the Real Madrid star – trying to pass the goalkeeper on the edge of the box, the ball bounced up off Ri Myong-Guk and on to Ronaldo's back before dropping from his head to his foot for an easy finish. Tiago's header one minute from time completed a magnificent seven.

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Brazil beat resilient Koreans

Brazil secured a 2-1 win against Korea DPR but they were made to work extremely hard to secure maximum points after the Asian outsiders showed impressive resilience.

The North Koreans kept Dunga's team scoreless until ten minutes into the second half when Maicon scored a stunning goal from an outrageous angle. When Elano doubled the lead with 18 minutes remaining, the contest appeared all over but a late goal from Ji Yun-Nam ensured Brazil endured some nervy moments in the final moments.

On paper the contrast between the pair could not have been starker, in what was the nations' first-ever meeting. Five-time world champions Brazil are top of FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking while Korea DPR sit at 105. The Koreans came into the contest on a run of eight outings without a victory, while Brazil conversely, had won their previous four matches.

The first half was largely all Brazil, though they had very few clear sights of goal. Kaka made a dangerous run into the penalty area in the opening minutes, which seemed likely to set the tone for the match, but the North Korean side, who conceded just seven goals in their 14 qualifying matches, showed just why they are known for their swarming defence.

They were not without their own lively moments going forward either – defender Cha Jong-Hyok fired a shot wide, while Japan-based striker Jong Tae-Se, who had tears streaming down his face as the national anthem played, offered plenty of drive in his role at the point of the attack.

The nearest Brazil came to scoring in the first half was through a Michel Bastos drive from distance which clipped the roof of the net but, in truth, never looked like dipping under the crossbar. Korea DPR went into the half-time interval looking relatively comfortable, despite conceding 63 per cent of possession. The North Korean fans inside Ellis Park may even have allowed themselves at least brief thoughts of their favourites repeating the heroics of that famous defeat of Italy at England 1966.

Brazil started the second half brightly, and a Bastos free-kick from a central position looked dangerous, but the blistering effort curved wide of the mark. The same happened with Robinho's snapshot moments later, as Brazil again found themselves forced to resort to shooting from distance.

Ten minutes after the interval, though, a moment of brilliance from Maicon broke the deadlock. There appeared little danger as he chased down a slightly overhit pass into the penalty area, but with the ball just about to roll over the by-line, he blazed a shot between Ri Myong-Guk and the near post, in a goal reminiscent of fellow Brazilian right full-back Josimar at Mexico 1986.

The goal opened up the match as the Koreans started to show more endeavour with numbers going forward. Luis Fabiano looked set to take advantage midway through the second half after being set up by Robinho but the Sevilla man could not find the target. The contest appeared over in the 72nd minute when Elano comfortably finished past an exposed Ri Myong-Guk, with Robinho the provider with an exquisite pass that checkmated the entire Korean defensive quartet.

With the clock ticking down it was A Selecao who looked more likely to score a third, but with a minute of regular time remaining, Ji burst into the penalty area and drove a memorable strike past Julio Cesar - Korea DPR's first goal at a FIFA World Cup™ for 44 years.

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2010 World Cup Qualification

Korea DPR had to enter the 2010 World Cup qualification from the first round, where they faced Mongolia. On October 21, 2007 they beat the Mongolian opponents 4–1 in Ulan-Bator, with Pak Chol-Min scoring one goal and Jong Chol-Min adding a hat trick. One week later, on the 28th of October, the teams met again, this time at the Kim Il-Sung Stadium in Pyongyang. Korea DPR won the game with a score of 5–1.Pak Chol-Min opened the score after 3 minutes, Kim Kuk-Jin added another goal in the 10th minute. Jong Chol-Min, again Pak Chol-Min and Jong Kwang-Ik secured a 9–2 aggregate win for the DPRK to advance to the third round.

At the third round, DPRK opened their campaign against Jordan in Amman. The visitors won the game 1–0 with Hong Yong-Jo scoring the winner after 44 minutes. The following matches, DPRK won against Jordan and Turkmenistan at home and tied Korea Republic both home and away to advance to the final round.

The two Koreas faced each other in a 2010 FIFA World Cup 3rd round Asian Qualification match. It was originally planned to be held in Pyongyang on March 26, 2008. The North Korean government decided that the South's national anthem would not be played, nor would the DPRK allow the South's national flag to be displayed at the game. South Korea was outraged by the decision. After three failed negotiation attempts by the South Korean football association, South Korea turned to FIFA for the official ruling. After FIFA intervention, the match was played in Shanghai, China, on March 26, 2008, and it ended 0-0.

In the final round of qualifying, DPRK finished in second place in Group B behind leaders Korea Republic ahead of Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. In their first match, DPRK scored a valuable away win against the UAE. Against the run of play, DPRK scored two goals with Choe Kum Chol scoring in the 72nd minute and An Chol Hyok clinching the win in the 80th minute. Basheer Saeed scored a consolation goal for the hosts in the 85th minute.The second match was the third encounter in qualifying against Korea Republic at the neutral venue of Shanghai which ended in a 1–1 draw, the third time in a row that the match ended in a draw between the two teams. Hong Yong-Jo converted a penalty to put the North Koreans ahead in the 63rd minute, but Ki Sung-Yeung equalised for the visitors five minutes later.

DPRK's unbeaten record in the final qualification stage came to an end with an away loss to Iran. Mehdi Mahdavikia headed the hosts into a ninth-minute lead when he picked up a pass from Mojtaba Jabbari from outside the penalty area. Javad Nekonam doubled up in the 65th minute when he latched onto team-mate Masoud Shojaei's pass, this time from inside the penalty area. Korea DPR's consolation goal came from a 70th-minute header from Jong Tae-Se.In their fourth match against Saudi Arabia, Korea DPR underlined their status as Asia's dark horses by upsetting Saudi Arabia. Mun In-Guk scored the only goal in the first half, much to the delight of the 70,000-plus home crowd.The result moved the North Koreans up to second in Pool B with seven points from four matches. North Korea's next win was against UAE which made them leaders of the group with 10 points.

On April 1, the stalemate between the two Koreas was broken when DPRK lost 1-0 to their southern neighbours in a match held in Seoul.The North Korean coach later suggested during a news conference that the South Koreans poisoned their squad.

A draw against Iran in Pyongyang complicated matters for Korea DPR who had 11 points from 7 matches and one game left to play. A win against Saudi Arabia would earn them direct qualification, as would a tie (due to goal differential versus Saudi Arabia) so long as Iran drew or lost their last match. A loss would have meant they were at the mercy of the result in the Iran-South Korea game.

On 17 June 2009, North Korea qualified for the 2010 World Cup by securing a draw with Saudi Arabia in Riyadh. North Korea and Saudi Arabia finished level with 12 points each, but the North Koreans had a superior goal difference.

Finals

On the 4th December 2009, the World Cup 2010 draw put Korea DPR in a group with Brazil, Ivory Coast and Portugal. This is North Korea's second World Cup finals, the first since 1966 where they reached the quarter-finals.

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History :Korea DPR National Football Team

The national football team of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (recognized as Korea DPR by FIFA) is the national team of North Korea and is controlled by the DPR Korea Football Association. The team has qualified for the FIFA World Cup twice; in 1966, where they reached the quarter-finals, and for the forthcoming competition in 2010. Korea DPR have qualified for the AFC Asian Cup three times; in 1980, when they finished fourth, in 1992 and in 2011. The current team is composed of both native North Koreans and Zainichi Koreans born in Japan.

1964 Olympic football tournament

Korea DPR qualified for 1964 Olympic football tournament but withdrew.

1966 World Cup

Korea DPR's most notable result in international play came in the 1966 World Cup at Middlesbrough F.C. home Ayresome Park, when the team upset Italy 1-0 to gain a spot in the quarterfinals. There, they lost 5-3 to Portugal despite taking a 3-0 lead in the 24th minute. The North Korean team was the first Asian team to progress beyond the first round of the World Cup finals. The documentary film The Game of Their Lives by Daniel Gordon is about the seven surviving members in 2002 of the 1966 national team.

1976 Olympic football tournament

Korea DPR reached quarter-finals at 1976 Olympic football tournament.

1978 Asian Games

Korea DPR won gold medals at the Asian Games football tournament in 1978.

2006 World Cup qualification

In March 2005, Korea DPR entered a match with Iran with limited chances of qualifying for the World Cup finals due to poor performance in early fixtures. During the match hosted in Pyongyang, North Korean fans became enraged when the referee failed to award North Korea with a penalty kick after a controversial play near the end of the match. Demanding a penalty, they rushed Syrian referee Mohamed Kousa, who instead gave a North Korean player a red card. Bottles, stones and chairs were thrown on to the field following the play. After the match was over, North Korean fans refused to let the Iranian team leave the stadium on their team bus. The violence was so severe that riot police were forced to step in to force back the crowd.Following this incident, North Korea lost its right to host the subsequent home match with Japan and the game was instead played in an empty stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

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