‘伊’ hunted down with horror set-piece… back-to-back finals appearances
Kim Eun-joong-ho, who continues to challenge fearlessly, has recalled his 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup record.
According to the Korea Football Association on Friday, the national under-20 football team has won three games and drawn two at the FIFA World Cup, tying the record for the most points won by a South Korean team in a FIFA-organised tournament (11). They equalled their tally from the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, where they reached the quarter-finals.스포츠토토
Earlier in the day, the team defeated Nigeria 1-0 after extra time in the U-20 World Cup quarter-finals at the Santiago Del Estero Stadium in Argentina. This is the second consecutive U-20 World Cup quarter-final after finishing as runners-up in Poland in 2019. It is the fifth quarter-final in men’s football at a FIFA-organised national tournament. It follows the 1983 U-20 World Cup in Mexico (fourth place), the 2002 World Cup in Korea-Japan (fourth place), the 2012 London Olympics (bronze medal) and the 2019 U-20 World Cup in Poland (runner-up).
The Little Taeguk Warriors’ quarter-final partner is traditional powerhouse Italy. They will play for a place in the final on 9 September at 6am ET at La Plata Stadium in Argentina. The Italians reached their third consecutive quarter-final after beating Colombia 3-1 in the quarter-finals the previous day. Their record at the tournament is four wins and one loss. They were dumped 0-2 by Nigeria in the group stages, but then beat Brazil 3-2 and topped England 2-1 in the round of 16.
The number one man to watch in the Italian squad is Cesare Cassaday, who is top scorer with six goals. The player, who joined Chelsea in England last year before being loaned out to English second-tier Reading earlier this year, is on a three-match scoring streak in the tournament. He has a market value of 12 million euros (about 167 million won).
Having played their quarter-final a day earlier, Italy have the fitness advantage, finishing in 90 minutes rather than going the full 120 minutes like we did. However, we may have the edge in terms of unseen momentum. South Korea have overcome low pre-tournament expectations and are buoyed by an unbeaten run.
The game against Nigeria was a classic example of ‘slow football’. Despite being out-shot 4 to 22 and out-attacked 32 per cent to 46 per cent, Korea secured a spot in the top four with a header from Choi Seok-hyun (Dankook University) in the fifth minute of extra time. Only one shot was on target. Choi made a name for himself as a ‘goal-scoring defender’ by scoring in two consecutive games.
South Korea overcame a 27 per cent to 60 per cent possession disadvantage in the round of 16 against Ecuador. At the heart of this pacey football is a sophisticated set-piece (corner and free-kick) game. Half of their eight goals, four, came from set pieces. That means the promised play is well organised. The same corner kick by Lee Seung-won (Gangwon) and header finish by Choi Seok-hyun (South Korea) in the quarter-finals shone through.
With one goal and four assists, the captain set a new record for most assists by a South Korean player in a FIFA-organised tournament. At the 2019 U-20 World Cup, Lee Kang-in (Mallorca) had four assists (two goals). Lee is the first player in Korean football history to have all four of his assists come from set pieces (three corners and one free kick). Just as Golden Ball (MVP) Lee Kang-in’s left foot was part of the runner-up miracle four years ago, Lee’s right foot is leading the team’s surge this time around.
“I told them that it’s a battle of concentration, so if they don’t give up until the end and show Korean strength, they can win,” said national coach Kim Eun-joong. “It hurts to see them not being recognised for their potential. I am grateful to the players for following the coaching staff.” If they get past Italy, they will meet the winner of Israel-Uruguay in the final.