Asian champions DPR Korea made it through to the Round of 16 at the FIFA U-17 World Cup in dramatic circumstances on Sunday, with Jong Chang-bom’s stoppage-time strike secured a 2-1 win over Costa Rica and a place in the knockout phase as one of the best third-placed sides.
Before his late heroics at the Estadio Chinquihue, Jong had already played a major role in the tightly-fought encounter when his cut back from the left allowed Pak Yong-gwan to open the scoring in the 14th minute with a well-taken shot on the turn.

The 2014 AFC U-16 Championship winners held the lead until disaster struck with six minutes remaining when Diego Mensen scored into an empty after Sergio Ramierez had headed an 84th minute corner across the face of the goal, with Mensen’s equaliser putting the North Koreans on the brink of elimination.

But with the clock ticking down and the Asian champions running out of time to keep their hopes of staying in the competition alive fading fast, DPR Korea scored the crucial winner three minutes into added time when Jong fired home from close range following a goalmouth scramble, with the forward scoring after Cost Rica keeper Alejandro Barrientos had kept out a Choe Jin-nam free-kick and Han Kwang-song’s follow-up.

"I'm happy to qualify today, we have shown our ability to play. This win gives us confidence,” said DPR Korea coach Yon Kwang-mu, who will now prepare his side for a Round of 16 clash against Group D winners Mali on Thursday.....

＞＞READ MORE "AFC Official Site"