DPR Korea beat UAE 2-1

After frustrating the home side for 70 minutes, the visitors took a 2-0 lead through an own goal by Basheer Saeed and a superb strike by substitute An Chol-hyok.

Saeed pulled a goal back with a deflected strike in the 85th minute but despite nine minutes of stoppage time, UAE were unable to find an equaliser.

The home side exerted their authority early on and almost went ahead after three minutes when Ismail Matar rifled a drive from 25 metres just over the crossbar.

DPR Korea did not concede a goal in six matches during the previous round of the qualifiers but their defence was shaky in the early stages and they nearly fell behind in the 11th minute after Ri Jun-il’s attempted clearance cannoned off UAE skipper Abdulraheem Jumaa, who dragged his attempt wide with only goalkeeper Ri Myong-guk to beat.

Midway through the half, Subait Khater swung in a cross from the right flank and with the DPR Korea defence ball watching, Mohamed Al Shehhi stole in unmarked at the near post but failed to make enough contact to turn the ball goalwards.

The visitors showed greater enterprise going forward at the start of the second half but it was the home side that continued to create the better chances with Matar firing over the crossbar in the 55th minute and shooting straight at Ri Myong-guk shortly afterwards.

DPR Korea’s main route to goal was on the counter-attack and it nearly paid dividends in the 65th minute when Choe Kum-chol broke quickly down the right flank and sent in a low cross that was cut out by goalkeeper Obaid Al Tawila before it could reach An Chol-hyok.

But Al Tawila could do little in the 72nd minute when substitute Kim Kum-il made a lightning break from midfield and fed ball through to Choe, whose cross towards An deflected off Basheer Saeed’s chest into the net.

An would extend the advantage with a superb strike in the 80th minute, wrong-footing Basheer Saeed on the right edge of the box to create space before firing a precise low shot into the bottom right corner of the UAE net.

Play was held up for five minutes as missiles rained onto the pitch but when the match resumed, the hosts pulled a goal back as Saeed’s speculative long range effort deflected off a Korean defender past Ri Myong-guk.

The lengthy pause resulted in over nine minutes of stoppage time but the closest the hosts came to an equaliser was an Abdulla Malallah drive that just cleared the crossbar.