Kim Eun-Joong-ho made history in South Korean soccer. At the U-20 World Cup, they went into the tournament “undefeated” in their group. South Korea last played in the group stage of the tournament in 1993. However, they were eliminated in the group stage that time.
The Korea U-20 National Team drew 0-0 with Gambia in their final Group C match at the U-20 World Cup Argentina 2023 on Monday (Sept. 29) at the Mendoza Stadium in Mendoza, Argentina. South Korea has one win and two draws. South Korea, who finished second in the group, will face Ecuador on June 2 at 6 a.m. at Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades.
South Korea advanced to the round of 16 early. Kim Eun-jong-ho’s men have won one and drawn one of their previous two matches (4 points). The tournament will feature the top 12 teams from each of the first through second place finishes in Groups A through F, as well as the top four teams from the third place finish in each group. South Korea secured a spot in the tournament as the minimum ‘3rd place wildcard’. This marks the third consecutive tournament in which South Korea has advanced to the Round of 16.
The final game was a ranking match. Prior to this game, Gambia (6 points) was ranked first and South Korea was ranked second. If South Korea wins the final match, they will advance to the round of 16 as the group winner and face Group E runner-up Uruguay. If they draw, they will finish second in the group. Even if they lose, they could still finish second depending on the outcome of the France-Honduras match. In that case, they’ll face Group B runner-up Ecuador. If they finished third and advanced to the round of 16, they would face Group D’s top seed Brazil.
Kim Eun-joong went with a rotation for the final game. He changed seven positions compared to the second game against Honduras on the 26th. Lee Young-joon (Gimcheon Commerce), Lee Seung-won (Gangwon FC), Kang Sung-jin (FC Seoul), and Kim Ji-soo (Seongnam FC) all made changes. The front line of the 4-2-3-1 formation was once again started by Lee Young-joon. Lee Ji-han (Freiburg), Lee Seung-won, and Kang Sung-jin started in the second line. Park Hyun-bin (Incheon United) and Lee Chan-wook (Gyeongnam FC) partnered in the defensive midfield. In the back four were Choi Ye-hoon (Busan I-Park), Hwang In-taek (Seoul Eland), Kim Ji-soo (Seoul), and Cho Young-kwang (Seoul). Moon Hyun-ho (Chungnam Asan) was in goal.
The Gambia also came out with a 4-2-3-1 formation. Adama Bojang led the attack. Mansour Mbiye, Bailo Ba, and Lamine Marong all provided support behind him. Muhammed Jobe and Mamoudou Bajo played as double-bolsters. The defense was manned by Saini Sanyang, Alagie Sainé, Dembo Saidikane Bakari Zawara. The goalkeeper’s gloves were worn by Pa Eboue Dampa.
The match started. Neither team was in a hurry. 스포츠토토 It was an early exploratory game. South Korea was the first to strike. In the 11th minute, Kang Sung-jin shook her opponent from the right side and fired a powerful shot. However, Kang’s shot went just wide of the goal. By the 20th minute, South Korea had 43% of the ball and Zambia 49%. The contested situation was at 8%. It was tense. Zambia increased the intensity of their attack after Bojang’s header in the 22nd minute. The Zambians used their speed to create more attackers for a moment. South Korea allowed back-to-back shots on goal. After the crisis, South Korea tried to counterattack with a quick counterattack, but no one was able to score. The first half ended 0-0.