(LEAD) (Asiad) N. Korea beats Vietnam 5-0 in women's football

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By Yoo Jee-ho

INCHEON, Sept. 16 (Yonhap) -- North Korea overpowered Vietnam 5-0 in its first women's football match at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon on Tuesday.

North Korea poured in four goals in the first half alone at Namdong Asiad Rugby Field against the overmatched Vietnamese. Kim Yun-mi scored twice in the game's first 10 minutes, and Kim Un-ju, Ri Ye-gyong and Jong Yu-ri added one goal apiece for the easy win in the Group C contest.

In the women's event, 11 countries will vie for medals. There are two groups of four and one group of three. The top two seeds from each group, plus the two best runner-up teams, will reach the quarterfinals. North Korea, the silver medalist from the 2010 Asiad in Guangzhou, will next face Hong Kong on Saturday.

Kim Yun-mi set the tone early with the opening goal in the fifth minute. By the time she headed in her second of the night five minutes later, the rout was on.

Bigger, faster and stronger, the North Koreans outmuscled their way into the Vietnamese zone and consistently beat their opponents to the loose ball. Kim Un-ju converted a penalty in the 21st for a 3-0 advantage. She missed her second penalty five minutes later, and it was Ri Ye-gyong who scored the North's fourth goal in the 41st.

It was much the same story in the second half, as North Koreans kept the pressure on and prevented Vietnam from mounting any counterattack. Jong Yu-ri rounded out the scoring with a successful penalty in the 83rd.

North Korea outshot Vietnam 12-1.

North Korean head coach Kim Kwang-min thanked the communist country's leader, Kim Jong-un, for inspiring his players to greater heights.

"Our Dear Marshal attended our game in August and offered us his guidance," the coach said at the post-match press conference. "Everyone on the team plays with a mindset that Dear Marshal is watching us. I think we were able to claim the victory today because of that."

The coach also said it's important to get off to a good start in any tournament, and he was pleased with the opening victory.

He said he wasn't too disappointed with a slew of missed opportunities in the second half, adding, "I think my players were trying to conserve some energy for the next match."

Asked to pick the strongest contender for the title, Kim said there is no weak link in the tournament.

"Every team is here to win the gold medal," he said. "Looking at South Korea, we beat them last year at the East Asian Cup (in South Korea), but I think the team has improved a great deal since then."

Vietnamese coach Mai Duc Chung said the North Koreans were too much to handle for his team.

"They deserved to win," Mai said. "They were in good physical condition. They were stronger than the Vietnamese players and were very good with long passes."

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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