North Korea opens Asian Games campaign with 10-0 Bangladesh rout

North Korea kicked off their Asian Games women's football competition with a 10-0 rout of Bangladesh in Japan on Monday.

Chae Un-yong, Jon Ryong-jong and Kim Kyong-yong each grabbed a brace, and Hwang Yu-yong had the other in a seven-goal first half for North Korea at Nagai Stadium in Osaka. The North Koreans tacked on three more goals in the latter half to complete the breezy win.

The largely empty stadium featured hundreds of Japanese residents of North Korean descent, decked out in red shirts matching the team's color on the pitch.

Those fans were mostly students from Osaka and Kyoto, but a senior official of the group declined to speak with a Yonhap News Agency reporter on the scene, citing a directive from his superiors.

The official also asked the reporter not to attempt to interview any member of the cheering group.

The North Koreans are pursuing their first Asiad gold medal since 2014. They will next play Myanmar on Thursday and then South Korea next Monday.

Yonhap