A huge day for the Koreas climaxed the AFC Women's Championship in Thailand, with North Korea retaining its Asian title and South Korea booking its place at the Women's World Cup this fall.
Ri Kum Suk's 15th goal of the tournament, a penalty kick in the second minute of overtime, gave North Korea a 2-1 victory over China in Saturday's final at Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok. South Korean referee Im Eun Ju awarded the spot kick after a hand ball by China's Gao Hongxia.
South Korea claimed the Asian Confederation's third World Cup berth, joining China and North Korea, with a 1-0 victory over Japan in the third-place game. Japan will meet Mexico in a playoff next month to determine the final World Cup slot.
Midfielder Hwang In Sun's 18th minute goal was enough for the South Koreans, who held on despite losing Park Eun Sun to a red card early in the second half.
The North Koreans, who qualified for the World Cup on Thursday with a semifinal victory over Japan, captured their second successive AFC Women's title. They also won the Asian Games championship in women's soccer last fall.
The Chinese dictated action most of the way, especially after Sin Kum Ok, North Korea's midfield leader, left with an injury just before halftime. Errors by Gao figured in both Korean goals.
Ri gave North Korea a 41st minute lead after Gao mishit a clearance her way. Gao made up for it with a header from Zhao Lihong's corner kick to tie the score in the 61st minute.