The final result is ‘very satisfying’
Kim Eun-jung’s Under-20 football team drew 0-0 with The Gambia in their third Group F match at the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023 in Mendoza, Argentina, kicked off at 6:00 a.m. on Monday (29 June) at the Mendoza Stadium in Mendoza, Argentina.
South Korea, who finished the group stage with one win and two draws, qualified for the round of 16 with five points, second behind The Gambia (seven).
South Korea could still advance to the knockout rounds even if they lost the third game and dropped to third place, so Kim didn’t force the issue and rotated his best team.먹튀검증
He kept the spine of centre-back Kim Ji-su, central midfielder Lee Seung-won and striker Lee Young-joon, but used winger Lee Ji-han, midfielder Park Hyun-bin, centre-back Hwang In-taek, left-back Choi Ye-hoon and right-back Cho Young-kwang, and goalkeeper Moon Hyun-ho in the best 11. Instead, Bae Jun-ho, Kim Yong-hak and Kang Sang-yoon started the game from the bench.
The result was successful. Without losing to the Gambia, South Korea retained second place in the group. They needed at least a draw, as a third-place finish would have meant a meeting with Brazil in the round of 16. It was also better to defend their current position as they would face Uruguay if they finished first and Ecuador if they finished second. Uruguay is a strong team, having finished second behind Brazil in South American qualifying for the World Cup.
It’s also positive that the team made the right substitutions to keep the players fit and improve their game. At the start of the second half, Kim took off Lee Seung-won and brought on Kang Sang-yoon, a swap between the two main players. In addition, main strikers Bae Joon-ho and Kim Yong-hak came on in the 13th minute of the second half and played around 40 minutes, including extra time. Another striker, Lee Seung-jun, came on in the 26th minute to warm up.
The defence, in particular, did well to contain the sharp Gambian attack. As Kim prepares for the Ecuador game, he’ll have to think about his defence again. One happy thought.
The second-placed South Koreans will face South American giants Ecuador in the round of 16 on 2 November in Santiago del Estero.
Ecuador, a traditional South American powerhouse, finished fourth in the South American qualifiers. They finished second in Group B with a 2-1 record. They lost to the United States in their first match, but beat Slovakia 2-1 in the second, and then thrashed underdogs Fiji 9-0 in the third. They have a powerful and pacy attack with the likes of Justin Cuero and Jose Klinger.
South Korea also faced Ecuador in 2019. They met in the semi-finals and won 1-0 to reach the final. Despite having a completely different line-up, Kim Eun-Joong-ho’s men have nothing to fear. They have already faced some strong teams in the group stage, so they should be confident and ready for the round of 16.