Suwon FC Women's coach Park Kil-young says his team felt "hurt" by a lack of home support after a historic 2-1 loss to North Korea's Naegohyang Women's FC in the Asian Women's Champions League semi-final.
Played in Suwon, the match attracted intense interest, with 5,763 fans braving torrential rain at the roofless stadium. A large group of spectators from civic groups, backed by Seoul's unification ministry, were present to support both teams, with some holding welcome banners for the North Korean side.
Park Kil-young struggled to control his emotions, stating: "We are Suwon FC Women of the Republic of Korea. Throughout the match, our players and our staff felt hurt."
Naegohyang's arrival in South Korea earlier this week was met by reporters and supporters holding welcome signs, marking the first visit by a North Korean sports team in eight years.
Suwon missed a late chance to equalize when captain Ji So-yun's penalty was saved. Naegohyang will now face Japan's Tokyo Verdy Beleza in Saturday's final, also in Suwon.
Naegohyang coach Ri Yu Il downplayed the partisan atmosphere, saying: "It was a very intense match and we were too caught up in it to be too conscious of the cheering."
