N. Korea vs. S. Korea: No goals and no crowd

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA » North Korea held South Korea to a 0-0 draw Tuesday in a World Cup qualifying match played in an empty stadium in Pyongyang.

Specific details of the game weren’t immediately available. South Korean soccer officials were unable to watch a telecast of the historic game at Kim Il Sung Stadium and South Korean spectators and media were denied entry.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino was in Pyongyang and attended the match.

“I was looking forward to seeing a full stadium for such a historic match but was disappointed to see there were no fans in the stands,” Infantino said in a statement. “We were surprised by this and by several issues related to its live broadcast and problems with visas and access for foreign journalists.”

The North had been expected to have a unique home advantage in the 50,000-capacity stadium devoid of South Korean fans. But the South Korean soccer association, known as the KFA, was surprised to find out there apparently was no home crowd support, either.

“Photos sent by our employees show not a single person in the stands,” KFA official Park Jae-sung said. “We are not sure why the North is doing this.”

The KFA sent two staff members to the stadium to watch the game, but ruled out live text updates on its website because of uncertainties in internet connection.

North Korea has agreed to provide a recording of the match before South Korean officials leave the North.

THE KOREA FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION VIA AP In this photo provided by the Korea Football Association, South and North Korean, wearing red uniforms, players play during their Asian zone Group H qualifying match for the 2022 World Cup at Kim Il Sung Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea on Tuesday. The game was played at an empty Kim Il Sung Stadium.