Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Uzbekistan secured a spot in the final of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup™ Saudi Arabia 2025 with a commanding 3-0 victory over North Korea.

The young "White Wolves," aiming to win their second title since 2012, will face Saudi Arabia in the final. Saudi Arabia triumphed in a tense penalty shootout (3-1) after drawing 1-1 with South Korea in regular time.

The semifinal match at King Fahd Sports City Stadium was packed with action. Both teams had already scored a total of 24 goals before the match began.

North Korea came close to responding with a shot from An Jin Sok, who dribbled past four players and found himself one-on-one with Uzbekistan’s goalkeeper Nematulloh Rustamjonov, but the ball was easily intercepted.

Uzbekistan was awarded a penalty in the 26th minute when Sadriddin Khasanov was fouled inside the box. Captain Muminkhon Bakhkhodirkhonov took the penalty, sending it toward Hyon Ju, but the ball rebounded off the goalkeeper, and North Korea’s defender Ri Kang Son scored an own goal. However, the goal was ruled out after a VAR review. Despite this, Khasanov opened the scoring in the 31st minute, beating a defender and sending the ball into the top corner to give Uzbekistan the lead.

North Korea’s situation worsened in the 40th minute when Kang Myong Bom received a second yellow card, leaving his team with ten players. Uzbekistan ended the first half with a clear advantage.

After the break, taking advantage of their numerical superiority, Uzbekistan continued to dominate and doubled their lead in the 62nd minute through Jamshidbek Rustamov’s goal. The substitute received a perfect cross from Shukrullaev and struck the ball into the top corner.

Just three minutes later, Shukrullaev himself scored, finishing off Khasanov’s cross into an empty net.

In the 76th minute, North Korea’s forward Pak Kwang Son missed a golden opportunity to reduce the deficit, failing to hit the target from close range. This miss symbolized a frustrating evening for North Korea.

Uzbekistan showcased brilliant play and confidently secured a 3-0 win to reach the tournament final.