Source : ABC NEWS
For 45 minutes, North Korea’s 5-0 defeat of Bangladesh promised to be the game for which the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup had so yearned.
Not for its fireworks, not for its quality — but for its jeopardy.
North Korea had put the ball in the net no fewer than three times but had nothing to show for it, with a handball, two tight off-side calls and close to 10 minutes of VAR tedium combining to keep things scoreless.
The North Koreans, placed an eye-watering 103 FIFA rankings ahead of Asian Cup first-timers Bangladesh, were completely dictating terms, but it didn’t matter — it just felt like an afternoon for the underdog.
And the Bangladeshis were bold.
They weren’t set up to dominate the game — but they began the match in Parramatta with at least an idea of how they intended to score.
Even on defensive corners, there were two players sitting near to halfway, waiting for any counter-attacking chance that may present itself.
And the Eastern Azaleas, typically so composed and businesslike, were beginning to look a little flustered in the Western Sydney heat — taking their frustrations out on teammate and opponent alike, appealing for penalties that were never there.
Bangladesh made things tough for its much more fancied opponent. (Getty Images: Steve Christo/Corbis)
But just as it looked like Bangladesh was halfway to one of the most spectacular scoreless draws in recent memory, up popped a penalty that very much was there.
North Korean attacker Hong Song-ok was wrestled to the floor by Bangladeshi defender Nabiran Khatun, before Myong Yu-jong, the scorer of two spot kicks in her side’s opener against Uzbekistan, made no mistake with her third penalty of the tournament.
Bangladesh was down, and in the blink of an eye, all but out of the contest, when superstar striker Kim Kyong-yong fired home in the seventh minute of added time.
North Korea ended the first half with a 2-0 lead. (Getty Images: Brendon Thorne)
In the tournament’s eight games before today, the higher-ranked teams from each match combined for a 19-1 aggregate scoreline.
Most games have followed a predictable, understandable pattern: the smaller nations in the tournament have sat back and put 11 players behind the ball, while the continent’s big dogs have pushed forward, doing little more than what’s required to get the job done.
It’s a dynamic as old as football itself, but one that doesn’t necessarily make for the most enthralling viewing.
The lopsided design of this particular tournament doesn’t help the situation either.
With eight of the 12 teams (the top two in each group as well as the two best third-placed sides) qualifying for the knockout stages, goal difference has taken on an unprecedented level of importance for the tournament’s smaller nations.
They know they will have more than a sniff of booking a quarterfinal berth if they reach the final match day with a respectable aggregate score, even if they have lost their first two matches.
This dynamic really exacerbates the already evident chasm between Asia’s best five sides and everyone else; while also making the opening two rounds feel slightly superfluous, given that the two highest seeded sides and two lowest seeded sides in each group will face off on match day three.
Back at Western Sydney Stadium, and Bangladesh returned for the second half with the result almost certainly out of reach. However, the south Asian side stuck to its guns admirably, opting against pure damage limitation and instead keeping an attacking outlet open.
But North Korea was settled, clearly a class above its opponent, running in three more goals to claim a 5-0 victory (the biggest win of the tournament so far) and all but end plucky Bangladesh’s maiden Asian Cup campaign.
Now with a -7 goal difference from its first two games, 112th-ranked Bangladesh would require a monster victory over world number 49 Uzbekistan to qualify for the quarterfinals as one of the best third-placed sides.
But this is far, far from a disappointing campaign for Bangladesh.
The tournament’s lowest-ranked side has experienced a meteoric rise, having not even scored in Asian Cup qualifying prior to the series that booked them a place in this tournament.
And all of this comes amidst serious controversy and fracture.
In 2025, a group of national team players, led by former captain and Bangladeshi football legend Sabina Khatun, accused coach Peter Butler of inappropriate behaviour, including verbal abuse and mental harassment.
The Bangladeshi FA launched an investigation and eventually sided with Butler, who remains in charge of the team.
Khatun is one of a number of that group of players to have not been selected in the squad for this month’s tournament, missing out on a true watershed moment for Bangladeshi football.
North Korea, meanwhile, booked a quarterfinal berth with victory in Parramatta.
China joins North Korea in the quarterfinals
China booked its place in the knockout stages with victory over Uzbekistan. (Getty Images: Brendon Thorne)
Later on Friday, China became the second team to secure qualification from Group B, defeating Uzbekistan 3-0, also at Western Sydney Stadium.
With nine changes made from the side that defeated Bangladesh 2-0 on Tuesday, Shao Ziqin’s first-half penalty put the defending champions ahead, before Li Qingtong struck twice after the break.
The top spot and a more favourable quarterfinal draw will be on the line when North Korea and China face off in Parramatta on Monday, with North Korea’s superior goal difference meaning the Eastern Azaleas only require a draw to finish first.
Uzbekistan (-5 goal difference) will take on Bangladesh (-7 goal difference), also at 8pm AEDT on Monday night, with both sides hoping for a big victory to boost their chances of advancing as one of the best third placed teams.
