Botswana Olympic team took a 1-0 win over their counterparts the DPR Korean side on Friday atthe four-nation tournament.
Later in the evening, hosts China, who revenged themselves on the Africans Wednesday for a 4-0 defeat a month ago in the training tour of Ratomir Djukovic's side, will play arch-rivals Japan in their second match of the invitational event.
With the victory, David Mogae Kennath Bright, head coach of the Botswana team who blasted on Chinese referee after losing 2-0 to China on Wednesday, came up to his words that his players could win all if only they took a good rest.
"We played a smart game," said Bright.
"My players have not gotten a full comeback physically, so I told them to manage an earlier upper-hand. The sooner, the better. And they made it," he added.
His counterpart of DPR Korea, Ri Jong Man, moaned a desultory game.
"We held huge advantage on the pitch, but my players failed to convert their opportunities into scores," said Ri. "We played a hot-headed game and had few methods on attacking, and that's why we lost the match."
"Though we've lost two games in straight, I think we learned a lot here and know more clearly where we are," he added.
DPR Korea dominated it from the very beginning, forcing two corners and a free kick out of the rivals on the first 15 minutes of the match, but it's Botswana who made the breakthrough first using a mistake from the DPR Korean defence.
In the 18th minute, Kaone Molefe tapped in a one-touch throw from the front right line, beating an unprepared DPR Korean goalie Ri Myong Guk to open the scoring for the African team.
The DPR Koreans should have scored earlier in the 15th minute, when their active midfielder Jong Su Hyok launched a long-range drive, 30 meters away from the goalmouth, but was saved by injured Botswana keeper Noah Maposa.
Trailing 0-1 from early in the first half, DPR Korea, who did not find efficient methods against the average shorter Botswanians, turned back more fiercely on attacking, but substitute striker Jong Su Hyok's free kick picked none in front of the mouth on 29 minutes before Cha Jong Hyok's barb kick was denied by the bar three minutes later.
Even more and better chances were wasted by the East Asian "Mysterious Troop" in the second half, as three DPR Korea players had their opportunities to score in the 58th minute when Maposa's outing had kept him too far away from the goalmouth.
Source: Xinhua
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