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The U20 World Cup team drew their second match against Honduras.
The team finished second in their group and took a step closer to the round of 16, but their sloppy game management left them disappointed.
Kim Tae-woon reports.
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The national team suffered the first blow.
They conceded a penalty after blocking an opponent’s counterattack, giving Ochoa the lead.
However, two minutes later, Ochoa, who scored the penalty, hit Bae Seo-joon in the back of the head as he contested the ball.
[Seo Hyung-wook/MBC commentator]
“It’s a punch now, it’s an assault regardless of the play.”안전놀이터
He was initially given a warning, but was sent off after video review.
The Koreans fought back with their numerical advantage, but six minutes into the second half, they were punished.
After making a bold substitution, the Koreans pulled one back in the 13th minute through Kim Yong-hak.
Four minutes later, substitute Park Seung-ho scored an equalising header from a corner.
But there were no more upsets.
We couldn’t turn the game around and finished second in the group with one point.
The round of 16 was pushed back to the final three matches.
[Kim Yong-hak/U-20 National Team]
“I’m not satisfied with the draw, we haven’t finished the group yet, so we’ll try to win the last game so we can advance to the main round (Round of 16).”
While the team’s dogged pursuit earned them a valuable point, they left a lot to be desired in terms of game management.
In second-half stoppage time, goalkeeper Kim Jun-hong received a second caution after a miscommunication with the coaching staff and will miss the next game.
Defender Choi Seok-hyun was also unavailable for the third game due to accumulating cautions.
[Choi Seok-hwan/MBC commentator]
“Because they are young players, there is a little bit of a lack of how to run the game, and I think they need to think about it a little bit more when we are losing or when we are ahead.”
Our third-round opponents, the Gambia, made it two wins in a row with a 2-1 victory over France to book their place in the last 16.