South Korea’s Kim Eun-Joong-ho secured a place in the quarterfinals after a thrilling win over Ecuador. Foreign media also praised the fantastic game.
South Korea’s U-20 national soccer team, led by head coach Kim Eun-joong, reached the quarterfinals of the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023 with a 3-2 victory over Ecuador in the round of 16 at the Santiago del Estero Stadium in Argentina at 6:00 a.m. (KST) on June 2.
It was a match worthy of Pele’s score. Lee Young-joon opened the scoring in the 11th minute, before Bae Joon-ho scored his second goal of the tournament on an individual effort in the 19th minute. The Koreans pulled a goal back in the 36th minute through Cuero on a penalty kick, but three minutes into the second half, Choi Seok-hyun scored a precise header from a corner kick to make it 3-1.
Ecuador fought back fiercely. After harassing Korea right up until the end of the game, Ecuador pulled one back in the 39th minute through Sebastian Gonzalez, but Korea held on to the one-goal lead and punched their ticket to the quarterfinals.
Foreign media also expressed their admiration for the young players who poured out their passion on the field for 90 minutes. “It was a wonderful, fantastic game,” said Spain’s As on Feb. 2, “full of great goals, immense talent, and top-notch drama,” and gave a thumbs-up to the players on both sides who gave it their all for 90 minutes.스포츠토토
“The Ecuadorian players showed tremendous mental strength, not giving up after conceding a goal,” he said, “but the victory belonged to Korea. “Korea deserved to win this game, even though at times they struggled with the Ecuadorian onslaught. They fought well and showed individual quality that will take them much higher in this tournament once they get past the Nigerian barrier.”