It’s been 16 years since Sam Kerr last played North Korea, but she was not surprised to see the mysterious nation’s football skulduggery remains alive and well.

Kerr on Thursday struggled to remember much about the team her Matildas beat on penalties to win the 2010 Asian Cup in China – a game in which she scored as a 16-year-old. Intel on personnel and style is about as rare as the North Korea women’s team’s international football presence in the past 15 years.

The dark arts, however, are impossible to forget. And, after Monday’s collective tantrum during their 2-1 group stage loss to China, these quarter-final opponents are expected to test Australia’s mental composure just as much as their game.

“You get a little bit of that in club football now,” Kerr said as the Matildas prepared for Friday night’s first knockout game of the 2026 Asian Cup.

“I think we just have to be prepared for everything and focus on ourselves, and stay focused in the moment. The other day, I think China did it really well, and I think probably just based on the fact that they focused on themselves.

“It can be frustrating and all of that, but I think that’s part of football now … it’s probably nice to see a little bit of it the other day, just based on the fact that we now know what we can expect.”

North Korea needed only a draw against defending champions China on Monday to top their group, having scored eight goals and conceded none in two persuasive, physical wins over Uzbekistan and Bangladesh. But the match in Parramatta descended into farce in first-half stoppage time when, with the scoreline locked at 1-1, China’s Wang Shuang initially had her goal disallowed for offside, then it was awarded after a VAR review.

The decision incensed North Korea so much their coach, Ri Song Ho, was given a yellow card and the players protested on the sidelines, refusing to return to the pitch for five minutes as boos rang out from the pro-China crowd. Eventually, the referee gave in and blew the whistle to call a premature half-time.