DPR Korea players warm up during their training session in Kolkata on Wednesday. Photo by: AFC/Stanley Chou

By Chetan Kulkarni

KOLKATA: Jordan will be aiming to continue their fairytale run in the AFC Youth Championship when they meet DPR Korea in the semifinal at the Salt Lake Stadium here on Thursday.

The Jordanians, playing in this prestigious tournament after a gap of 28 years, stunned favourites China in the quarterfinals 2-1 to qualify for the last four stage and earn a ticket for the FIFA U-20 World Cup to be held next year in Canada.

“Reaching the semifinal was a surprise for us but we would like to pull off another surprise against DPR Korea,” said their Danish coach Jan Poulsen.

Though the coach does not have any knowledge of the East Asians, he admitted that victory over China had boosted the players’ confidence. “The win over China proved to be a morale booster for my players. They started believing in themselves that we are no pushovers,” he said. “We had nothing to lose against China but we will have to be more cautious against DPR Korea. We will play to win and this will be a bonus for us.”

A brace by their substitute striker Ahmad Nofal helped them record a 3-2 win over India while strikes from Loiy Al Zaideh and Abdallah Salim proved decisive against China in the quarterfinals. They lost to Korea Republic 0-3 in the opener and held Kyrgyzstan goalless in the other group games.

Poulsen, however, refused to field Nofal in the starting line-up saying, “He is not fit to play full 90 minutes but still he is our best bet as a substitute.”

DPR Korea finished runners-up in Group C on goal difference after they were level on points with Japan and Iran. They lost to Japan 0-2 in the opener but bounced back to thrash Iran 5-0 and Pak Chol-min’s last-gasp goal gave them a 1-0 win over Tajikistan in the last match.

Midfielder Kim Kum-il and defender Yun Yong-il were on target in their 2-0 win over Iraq in the quarterfinals.

DPR Korea coach Jo Tong-sop is equally clueless about his rivals but says his team’s strength lies in coordination and hard work. “We have no stars but collective effort is our strength,” he said. “It will be a tough match as it would not have been easy for any team to make it to the semifinals. Jordan must be a strong team. We will do our best to advance to the summit clash,” he added. The match starts at 1900 hours local time.