By Yoon Chul
Staff Reporter
North Korea won its second straight game at the 9th International Friendship tournament in Qatar, Thursday (KST), beating host Qatar 1-0 in Doha on a header by Hong Yong-jo.
The 2010 World Cup qualifier also defeated Mali 1-0 earlier this week and sits in first place out of four teams in the tournament.
After a scoreless first half, in the 59th minute, forward Cho Kum-chol penetrated into the right corner of the box past a Qatar defender. He sent a looping cross that linked with North Korean captain Hong, whose header found the net over the Qatari goalie and a defender.
Hong, who plays with FC Rostov in Russia, also scored the game's only goal against Mali.
Once the East Asians had taken the lead, they locked down defensively and got the win.
The tournament leader will face Iran, which lost to Mali 2-1 on the same day, on Sunday in the final game of the tournament.
The total prize money for the International Friendship tournament is $600,000, with the winner earning a $250,000 share.