Photo: VCG

China was defeated by North Korea 2-4 in the semifinals of the AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup in Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province, on Thursday. 

Defending champions North Korea will face Japan in the final match on Sunday. On Thursday, Japan eased past Australia 4-0 en route to the final. 

In the 28th minute, striker Yu Jong-hyang stole possession outside of China's box and gave North Korea the lead with an arched shot.

Ri Kyong-im doubled the lead for North Korea in the 33rd minute as she fired a left-footed shot into the top corner from the edge of the box. 

China almost got a quick response as Liu Yuxi's side-footed shot hit the post in the 37th minute. 

Striker Liu soon got China back into the game in the 43rd minute when she tapped home from the far post following Wi Yichen's threaded cross.

After the break, Liu leveled the score at 2-2 in the 50th minute as she latched onto a defense-splitting pass from midfielder Zhao Siqing before beating North Korea's lunging goalkeeper with a clinical chipped shot. 

Yu Jong-hyang restored North Korea's lead in the 65th minute as Kim Won-sim's square pass from the right flank helped Yu to score from close range.  

Yu completed her hat trick with a header as she made it 4-2 in the 75th minute. 

Substitute Li Qixian fired a left-footed shot onto the bar in the stoppage time of the game. 

Facing defending champions North Korea, the Chinese girls did not sit back and defend deep. However, several promising attacking moves broke down due to wayward final passes, causing them to miss valuable chances, Liu Yu, a Beijing-based sports commentator, told the Global Times.

Although North Korea held the upper hand in possession and physical duels, the young Chinese players displayed the fighting spirit long associated with the senior national team and they gained valuable experience at this tournament, said Liu. 

China's best result came in 2005, when the team finished as runners-up at the inaugural U17 Women's Asian Cup.

In the quarterfinal on Monday, China romped to a 3-0 win over India, while securing their qualification for this year's FIFA U17 Women's World Cup to be held in Morocco from October 17 to November 7. A total of 24 teams will battle it out to be crowned as global champions in Morocco. 

In the group stage, the U17 team won all three matches, scoring 15 goals without conceding, and advanced to the quarterfinals as the top team in Group A.

From 2026 to 2028, the U17 Women's Asian Cup will be hosted in Suzhou for three consecutive editions.

Earlier, Chinese women's national teams in different age categories also qualified for World Cup events. 

In April, China edged Uzbekistan 2-1 in the quarterfinals of the 2026 AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup in Thailand, securing their berth for the FIFA U20 Women's World Cup to be held in Poland from September 5 to 27.

In March, China needed extra time to see off Chinese Taipei 2-0 in the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup, booking their spot for the 10th edition of the FIFA World Cup to be held in Brazil from June 24 to July 25 in 2027.