North Korea won its third Fifa Under-20 Women’s World Cup on Sunday, defeating Japan 1-0 in Bogotá.
They became the joint most successful team in the tournament’s history, tying with powerhouse nations Germany and the United States.
Choe Il-son’s 15th-minute goal capped an outstanding campaign for North Korea, who won every game in Colombia.
The 17-year-old attacker finished as the competition’s best scorer, earning the Golden Boot with six goals.
“It’s so hard to express ourselves right now. This has been a dream of so many of us for so long,” said North Korea’s captain, Chae Un-yong.
“The final match was tough, as we expected, and we had to remain calm and play according to the coach’s tactical instructions.”
North Korea dominated the competition, defeating Argentina, the Netherlands, and Brazil en route to the semifinals.
A 1-0 victory over the United States set up an all-Asian final versus Japan, the previous tournament’s runners-up in 2022.
Choe’s goal, a slightly deflected left foot strike, was enough to score a historic triumph for North Korea at El Camin Stadium.
She was chosen player of the match and received both the Golden Boot and the Golden Ball, which are presented to the World Cup’s best overall player.
North Korea’s victory is especially noteworthy given that the country withdrew from global sporting competition for several years owing to the coronavirus pandemic.
After not playing since 2018, the North Korean Women’s U20 team returned to the international stage in March this year to compete in the Asian Cup in Uzbekistan.
Despite the six-year layoff, they won the event, defeating Japan 2-1 for their second title.
“To firstly win the Asian Cup and now follow that with this success means that I’m so proud of the team,” said the team coach, Ri Song-ho, following their World Cup triumph.
“We have shown that we are very dangerous in the way that we build up attacks; it’s all about the speed of how we go forward.”
![Is Anthony Odiong still a priest after life in prison sentence over rape? Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-300x200.jpg)






