The President of Japan Football Association, Saburo Kawabuchi, says that North Korea's national soccer team was far stronger than expected and that their style resembles that of South Korean footballers.

Commenting on Wednesday's North Korea-Japan qualifying match for the 2006 World Cup Germany, in which Japan beat the North 2-1, the president said that North Korean players demonstrated an aggressive offense and physical strength, and that each and every member was equipped with highly solid skills. He added that their soccer playing was much like that of their southern counterparts.

Japan's conservative Sankei newspaper assessed the Northern players had shattered pre-game expectations of poor play, saying that it was only natural for North Korean football to lag behind global standards, as it hadn't appeared on the world stage for quite some time.