Ulaanbaatar: DPR Korea came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw against Singapore on Matchday Two of the AFC U-23 Championship Thailand 2020 Qualifiers at the MFF Stadium on Sunday. 



DPR Korea lead the standings with four points, followed by Singapore who have now settled for two draws in two matches.

The East Asians face Hong Kong in their final qualifying match, while Singapore will have to beat Mongolia on Tuesday to keep their hopes alive.



DPR Korea, who defeated Mongolia 1-0 on Matchday One, were stunned in the first minute when they fell behind to a goal by Ikhsan Fandi Ahmad.

In an excellent build-up play which started from defence, Singapore pressed forward and No Hami Syahin’s through pass found Ikhsan on the left who muscled his way into the danger area before firing a low drive through the legs of DPR goalkeeper Kang Ju-Hyok.

The young Cholima, however, did not give up and fought back to equalise six minutes later, through Pak Kwang-Hun’s fine strike, after some good work by Kang Kuk-Chol who fed him the ball from outside the box.

DPR Korea began to press harder and came close to breaking the deadlock in the 12th minute but Kim Kuk Jin’s shot lacked punch and was easily dealt with by Singapore goalkeeper Zharfan Rohaizad.

Rohaizad was called into action again as he made several saves as the score remained 1-1 at half-time.

The tempo of the game stayed the same in the second half with both teams trying their best to break the deadlock, but neither side came close to finding the net.

However, with 15 minutes left in the game, DPR Korea came within inches of scoring a second when a cross from the right made its way into the box but Rohaizad was in top form to deflect the ball and parry the follow-up as the teams settled for a draw.

Photos: Mongolia Football Federation


Source: the-afc.com