AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026: Myong hat-trick sees North Korea win against Uzbekistan

Myong Yu Jong scored a first-half hat-trick as three-time champions North Korea marked their first AFC Women’s Asian Cup match since 2010 with a smooth 3-0 win over Uzbekistan on Tuesday.

The Koreans were utterly dominant and struck early to pile on the pressure, and there was no looking back for an Uzbek side who lost their starting goalkeeper after ten minutes to a neck injury.

Midfielder Myong finished clinically on the turn in the sixth minute after a try on goal to open her side’s account in front of a largely empty Western Sydney Stadium with a few North Korean fans.

She doubled the lead with a penalty after Chae Un Yong was crossed and made it 3-0 in the 41st minute with a penalty, planting the ball again in the left corner.

Uzbekistan failed to get a single shot off in the first half and things didn’t get any better when they returned.

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The second half was again played almost exclusively in the Uzbek half, but the damage was at least limited as a solid defense kept the score under control.

North Korea, one of Asia’s most successful women’s teams, wants to copy the titles of 2001, 2003 and 2008.

Its 2000s momentum was undermined when it was excluded from 2015 World Cup qualifying due to failed doping tests, and it did not play any matches from 2019 to 2023 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It is ranked ninth in the world and in Australia thanks to notable success with the under-20 and under-17 women’s national teams.

Last year, the country defended its U-17 World Cup title in Morocco, having also won the U-20 World Cup in Colombia in 2024.

Published on March 3, 2026