After reaching the Round of 16 unbeaten, Kim Eun-Joong prepares for the final.
Kim Eun-Joong and the South Korea Under-20 team drew 0-0 with The Gambia in their third Group F match of the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023 on Monday (Sept. 29) at the Mendoza Stadium in Argentina.
With one win and two draws, South Korea (5 points) finished second in the group and advanced to the Round of 16. They will face Ecuador, who finished second in Group B, in the Round of 16.
After securing a spot in the round of 16 before the game, South Korea made a few changes to their starting lineup. They rested a number of players who hadn’t played a lot to build up their stamina. Nevertheless, they were not fazed by the Gambian offense. In particular, Moon Hyun-ho (Chungnam Asan), who replaced starter Kim Jun-hong (Gimcheon Sangmu), shined. They did not concede a goal against 16 shots.
“We sent out players who hadn’t played much in the past,” Kim said in a televised interview, adding that he wanted to ensure their fitness. “The players who came on as substitutes in the second half were trying to maintain their senses for the next game,” he said, adding, “We made the substitutions sequentially according to the plan.”
After reaching the round of 16, South Korea will face Ecuador in the quarterfinals at 6 a.m. next month. With the tournament now in full swing, the team will have to take every game to the bank.
“The teams in the tournament are strong teams with their own colors,” Kim said, adding that they must be prepared thoroughly. “We are cautious because it is a one-game match, but we will prepare well to achieve results,” he said.스포츠토토
Hwang In-taek, who represented the national team, said, “We knew Gambia was good and analyzed a lot of videos,” and reflected, “Although they played well, I think we were able to keep a clean sheet because we practiced our defense well.”
“The first thing is to recover quickly,” said Hwang In-taek. “We will feel confident, but we will not be arrogant, and we will prepare well so that we can continue to go to the quarterfinals and semifinals.”