South Korea's footballers had no idea their surreal World Cup qualifier in Pyongyang would be played in an empty stadium -- a match Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min described as "very aggressive" and one official likened to warfare.
The contest against North Korea ended 0-0 on Tuesday, with FIFA president Gianni Infantino one of just a handful of spectators at a match almost completely blocked off from the outside world.
It was the first ever competitive encounter between the men's sides hosted by the North -- a historic face-off between two countries still technically at war -- but took place with no live broadcast and no foreign media in attendance.
The debacle raises doubts over the prospects for further North-South sporting co-operation, once a driver of nuclear diplomacy.
Until the very last minute, the South's team had no idea that even North Korean spectators would be absent.
"We expected 50,000 people to come pouring in once the door opened but they didn't come," said Korea Football Association vice-president Choi Young-il as the team arrived back at Incheon airport early Thursday.
"The gates never opened. I was really surprised. The players and coach were surprised too."
Choi said he had asked a North Korean official about the absence of local fans, who retorted: "Maybe they didn't want to see it."
"There was a lot of severe swearing."
Choi added he had never seen such aggression on the pitch before: "It was like war."
- Nuclear tensions, Olympic doubts -
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