Korea DPR v Germany
Moscow (Dynamo), 18 August, 19:00 local time
"The Germans were champions last time round and are definitely the strongest side in the group," Korea DPR coach Kwang Sok Choe told FIFA.com on his arrival in Moscow. "We're not scared of any of our opponents, though. It will be a great game and a terrific experience for our team."
The AFC runners-up showed their potential in the qualification tournament and almost pulled off a major surprise against the mighty Chinese in the final. Discipline and organisation are the watchwords of a side that likes to get forward at every opportunity, and the North Koreans will certainly need to draw on all their resources against an imposing Germany side.
The reigning champions have never failed to win an opening game at the FIFA U-20 Women's World Championship and, dauntingly for Korea DPR, they have never lost to Asian opposition at the tournament. Japan were their victims at Canada 2002, and at Thailand 2004 the relentless Europeans put the hosts to the sword before defeating China in the final.
Nevertheless, coach Maren Meinert is paying no attention to what the history books say. "It won't be easy against Korea and we'll need to be patient," she warned. "They're very disciplined both technically and tactically."
The Germans showed their pedigree just a matter of weeks ago when they stormed to the UEFA U-19 Women's European Championship title in Switzerland. The challenge now facing Meinert is to successfully blend the youthful promise of that side with the experience of the team that triumphed at Thailand 2004: "Our main concern is the way that we perform," explained the German coach. "We want to keep on improving and stay faithful to our system. The important thing is not how our opponents play, but how well we do our job."
