North Korea failed to retain its FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup title after losing to Spain on penalties in the final on Sunday, narrowly missing out on its second successive trophy despite not conceding a single goal in the tournament.

From start to finish, the final played in the Polish city of Lodz was a hard-fought battle between two nations with a strong women’s youth soccer pedigree, with Spain and the DPRK having won the two previous U-20 Women’s World Cups. 

The victory is Spain’s second in three editions of the biennial tournament. North Korea, with its three trophies, shares