AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026: Australia beats North Korea to reach semi-finals

In-form Alanna Kennedy and skipper Sam Kerr produced spectacular goals as Australia defeated talented North Korea 2-1 to reach the semi-finals of the Women’s Asian Cup on Friday.

Going into the knockout stages, the Matildas were outplayed by their youthful opponents for large parts of a thrilling match in front of 16,466 fans at Perth Rectangular Stadium.

But they took their chances when Kennedy fired her fifth tournament goal with a left-foot strike from the edge of the penalty area in the ninth minute.

Hometown hero Kerr hit the target with her left boot just after half-time before North Korea hit back through Chae Un-Yong in the 65th minute.

Australia held on and the victory secured direct qualification for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.

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It will next play the winner of defending champions China and Chinese Taipei, who face a charged quarter-final in Perth on Saturday.

While North Korea’s hopes of a fourth Asian Cup title are over, a play-in will be played on March 19 to determine the final two automatic places for the World Cup.

A boisterous North Korea kept its vow not to stage any more sideline protests after the final group match against China descended into farce when the country refused to play for several minutes due to a VAR decision.

It put heavy pressure on an Australian side that was under scrutiny after an indifferent start to the tournament.

The Matildas had to make the long journey across the country after failing to beat South Korea in their final group match in Sydney.

They also had to miss star duo Hayley Raso and Steph Catley due to a concussion.

A fired-up North Korea, whose players roared in unison just before kick-off, almost silenced the partisan crowd when Kim Kyong-Yong’s header narrowly missed the target.

Kerr set Australia on fire with a brilliant defensive effort to pinch the ball from An Kuk-Hyang on the right flank, allowing Kennedy to break the deadlock.

But a fearless North Korea completely dominated until the break.

Things looked most dangerous down the right flank, with several neat crosses rattling the Australian defense.

The Matildas were unable to clear the ball, with goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold coming into action several times.

Hong Song-Ok came agonizingly close before half-time when she pulled away with a sublime spin before her shot hit the left post.

The break came at a good time for the Matildas, with Kerr making a rare defensive error before Chae breathed new life into the match psf3.

North Korea scored a nerve-wracking finish, but could not equalize.

Published on March 13, 2026