The 0-0 scoreline reflected a contest in which neither team found a breakthrough. That left the trophy to be settled from 12 yards, where Spain’s composure eventually separated the sides.
López reportedly denied efforts from Choe Yon-a and Pak Il-Sim, turning the shootout in Spain’s favour. Her two saves carried greater weight because the match itself had offered no margin for recovery: one missed penalty could define the entire final.
For Spain, the victory would represent their second Women’s Under-20 World Cup title, following their previous success in 2022.
North Korea are reported to have completed the tournament without conceding a goal in open play or through the match itself. That would make their campaign one of the competition’s strongest defensive displays.
The shootout defeat does not alter that record, because penalty kicks are not counted as goals conceded during the match. North Korea therefore leave the tournament beaten in the final, but with their defensive achievement intact.
That contrast captures the final: Spain had the greater reward, while North Korea retained a remarkable statistical landmark.
Shootout victories often create lasting reputations for goalkeepers, and López now appears to have delivered Spain’s defining image of the tournament. Her saves converted a tense, scoreless final into another landmark for Spanish youth football.
The report also says Spain’s Under-20 side now joins the country’s senior men’s and women’s teams as world champions. The next test will be whether players from this squad can carry the confidence of a global title into senior football, while North Korea begin rebuilding after a defeat that came without conceding a conventional goal.