In a game held at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, on Sunday, North Korea walloped Nigeria 3-0, to claim the first victory in Group A in the Women's World Cup. Group A is known as the "group of death," with its four teams ? Nigeria, North Korea, Sweden, and the United States ? all having strong reputations. Jin was named the Bud Light Player of the Game, a prize given to the MVPs of each game.

Jin was clearly at the top of her game, showing speed, technique, and strength. With her teammate, star player Ri Kum Suk, Jin formed half a pincer that crushed the Nigerian defense from the start. At 13 minutes in the first half, she blocked a blast from the defense and fired a shot from the penalty area with her right foot, to snag the first goal of the game.

In the 73rd minute, Jin wove the ball deep into the left corner of the Nigerian defensive zone and passed it to the center, where midfielder Ri Un Gyong lurked unchecked. Ri scored the second goal of the game, with Jin getting credit for the assist.

With two minutes remaining in the second half, Ho Sun Hui nailed a shot off the crossbar. Jin, waiting in the center, slammed ball into the back of the net.

Jin first caught the media’s attention at the 2001 AFC Women’s Championship in Taipei. In the semifinal against China, she scored a hat trick to close the game, 3-1. It was the first time that North Korea beat China. This year, in the same event, Jin scored nine goals, the most in the games so far.

After the game, Jin said that it was power and determination that allowed her team to clinch its first victory, and thanked the Koreans in the audience who cheered for her team. (Kim Dong-seok, ds-kim@chosun.com )