The coach of the first North Korean sports team to visit the South in eight years said his players were not “rough” as they prepared for Saturday’s Asian Women’s Champions League final.

Naegohyang Women’s FC take on Japan’s Tokyo Verdy Beleza in the South Korean city of Suwon, having beaten Suwon FC Women in the semi-finals at the same stadium earlier this week.

The rare North-South semi-final was a hard-fought match played in a fair spirit without any major flashpoints.

Three Naegohyang players and two from Suwon were shown yellow cards over 90 minutes played in torrential rain.

Naegohyang coach Ri Yu-il said he expected the final to be played according to the letter of the law.

“Since coming here, I have heard the expression ‘rough match’ being used several times by some of the opposing team’s players and public opinion, even at the semi-final stage,” he said on Friday.