“I really wanted to contribute in my first match,” he said. “I felt like I had run hard for seven or eight minutes, and I was so surprised that I had scored only three minutes into my appearance.

“We listened closely to our head coach’s (O Thae Song) instructions and followed them. Now our team spirit is really high and we’re very excited heading into the semi-finals.”

Pak’s goal was the icing on the cake in a match that saw six players contributing to the scoreline from the seventh minute onwards. Their defence proved just as formidable, allowing Indonesia only a single shot on target during the match. 

Head coach Song attributed their win to being well-prepared.

“We studied their defence and were tactically ready,” he said. “As soon as we got the ball we attacked from the sidelines and tried long range shots from all directions. 

“The team was a little nervous facing Indonesia as they had won all their group matches, but we became more confident as our game progressed.” 

Indonesia head coach Nova Arianto was satisfied with his team’s achievement.

“I am also grateful for the opportunity to play against a side like DPR Korea,” he said. “We were expecting a favourable result, but anything can happen in football.”

“Maybe the team was a little distracted by our place in the FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025,” the tactician added. “But we have grown as a result of playing in such a high-level tournament.”

DPR Korea will meet Uzbekistan in the semi-finals on Thursday.