{"id":494661,"date":"2026-03-10T18:53:45","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T19:53:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=494661"},"modified":"2026-03-10T22:23:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T22:23:11","slug":"surprise-dark-horse-threatening-to-trip-up-matildas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/?p=494661","title":{"rendered":"Surprise 'dark horse' threatening to trip up Matildas"},"content":{"rendered":"

DPR Korea may have emerged as the "dark horse" of the 2026 Women's Asian Cup<\/a> but \ufefftheir success on the pitch will not intimidate the Matildas<\/a>, according to Clare Wheeler.<\/p>\n

The resurgence of DPR Korea may come as a surprise to some in the football world, given it has been over 15 years since the nation has competed in a major tournament.<\/p>\n

The Eastern Azaleas, as they are known in North Korea, were banned from the FIFA Women's World Cup<\/a> in 2015 due to a doping scandal discovered in 2011.<\/p>\n

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On return to the international scene, the nation failed to qualify for the 2018 Asian Cup and 2019 World Cup.<\/p>\n

Then due to COVID-19, they did not play in the 2023 World Cup. However, they have won five major titles since 2023 in the under-20s and 17s events. \ufeff<\/p>\n

\"Players<\/p>\n

DPR Korea are known for their high-tempo, attacking football and have scored nine goals over three games in the tournament so far.<\/p>\n

"They're a bit of a dark horse," Wheeler said of Australia's looming opponent.<\/p>\n

"Not many of us have played against them in recent years.<\/p>\n

"It is just about relying on footage and seeing them throughout this tournament. They are a physical team and we watched the game the other night. Over the next few days of training, we will put together how we will approach the game.<\/p>\n

"We're not really sure what to expect, but we'll try our best."<\/p>\n

Australia and DPR Korea have had to make the trip across the country\ufeff to Perth for the quarter-final, a game that will secure the winner a ticket to the 2027 World Cup.<\/p>\n

\"Clare<\/p>\n

With that in mind, it is understandable that both nations players will be feeling pressure. But Wheeler is not too worried about the team's ability to handle such pressure. \ufeff<\/p>\n

"A lot of this group was at the World Cup, and we've felt that pressure before," she said.<\/p>\n

"\ufeffSo I think it's just using that pressure as fuel and not letting it control us.<\/p>\n

"I agree with Joe. There were moments where we had control and moments where we didn't. It just comes down to game management and controlling the flow and tempo.<\/p>\n

"Going into the next game, it's about understanding when there are times to force it and go forward, and times when to control the tempo and slow it down.<\/p>\n

"It's good to learn those lessons in the group stage because now every game counts and you don't get a second chance."<\/p>\n

\"Steph<\/p>\n

Australia will likely be without vice-captain Steph Catley for the quarter-final as she continues to recover from concussion symptoms suffered against South Korea. She did not join the team on their flight to Perth on Monday.<\/p>\n

While Catley is likely out of the match, the Matildas will welcome back Hayley Raso, who missed the final game of the group stage due to concussion symptoms also.<\/p>\n

"With every concussion, it's different from person to person," Wheeler added.<\/p>\n

"There's protocols in place, (Hayley) is working with the medical team to try and get back, in line with her protocols.<\/p>\n

"She travels with the team, she's around the team, I think day-by-day, she'll take it step by step."<\/p>\n

The Matildas will face DPR Korea in Perth \ufeffon Friday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DPR Korea may have emerged as the "dark horse" of the 2026 Women's Asian Cup but \ufefftheir success on the pitch will not intimidate the […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":494665,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/494661"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=494661"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/494661\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":494672,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/494661\/revisions\/494672"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/494665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=494661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=494661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=494661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}