North Korea revived its dream of playing at the men’s soccer World Cup with a last-minute win against Syria on Thursday, a result that leaves the DPRK within touching distance of reaching the next round despite a qualification campaign that has seen several ups and downs.

In a close encounter at Vientiane’s New Laos International Stadium, the DPRK came out on top after forward Jong Il Gwan scored the game’s only goal in the 92nd minute.

The match was a must-win for North Korea, as anything less than three points would have eliminated the DPRK from Asian qualifiers for the