'Defending champion' shows its true colors! North Korea crushes Portugal 2-0 with 'Kang Ryu-mi's multi-goal'... U-20 Women's World Cup starts smoothly

*This content was translated by AI.

The North Korea U-20 women's national football team announced a smooth start toward back-to-back titles by defeating Portugal in their first group stage match of the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup.

North Korea defeated Portugal 2-0 thanks to Kang Ryu-mi's two goals in their Group E opener of the tournament held on the 7th (Korean time) in Łódź, Poland.

In the 25th minute of the first half, North Korea took the lead when Kang Ryu-mi converted a penalty kick awarded after an opponent handball foul. In the fifth minute of the second half, North Korea sealed the victory when Kang Ryu-mi headed in a ball cleared by the goalkeeper from a corner kick situation.

With this win, North Korea finished second in Group E, trailing Colombia (3 points, +2 goal difference, 3 goals scored) by one goal in total goals scored after Costa Rica defeated Colombia 3-1. North Korea, which has won the tournament in 2006, 2016, and 2024, aims for its first back-to-back titles in this edition. North Korea will face Costa Rica on the 10th and Colombia on the 14th.

Meanwhile, the South Korea U-20 Yeo Ja (CEO) team, coached by Park Yoon-jung, recorded a 1-1 draw against France in their Group C opener held on the 6th.

South Korea took the lead with an early goal by Jo Hye-young (Madrid CFF) in the 12th minute of the first half but later conceded an equalizer, settling for one point. South Korea's best-ever result remains third place at the 2010 tournament. The team will continue its group stage schedule against Ghana on the 9th and Ecuador on the 13th.

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*This content was translated by AI.