‘Undefeated + Round of 16’ Kim Eun-Joong says, “Now we need to get results”
Unbeaten and through to the round of 16, Kim Eun-Joong prepares for the final.
Kim Eun-Joong’s South Korea U-20s drew 0-0 with The Gambia in their third Group F match of the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023 at the Mendoza Stadium in Argentina on Monday (29 June).
With one win and two draws, South Korea (5 points) finished second in the group and qualified for the round of 16. They will face Ecuador, who finished second in Group B, in the round of 16.스포츠토토
Having secured their place in the round of 16 before the match, South Korea made a few changes to their starting line-up. They rested a number of players who hadn’t played much to build up their stamina. Nevertheless, they were not fazed by the Gambian attack. In particular, Moon Hyun-ho (Chungnam Asan), who replaced star defender Kim Jun-hong (Gimcheon Sangmu), shone. 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 play Ecuador in the quarter-finals on 2 February at 6am. With the tournament now in full swing, the team will have to take every game to the wire.
“The teams in the tournament are strong teams with their own colours,” Kim said, adding that they must be prepared thoroughly. “We are cautious because it’s a one-game match, but we will prepare well to get a result,” he said.
Hwang In-taek, who represented the national team, said, “I knew Gambia was good, so I did a lot of video analysis.” “They played well, but I think we were able to keep a clean sheet because we practised defence well,” he reflected.
“The first thing is to recover quickly,” said Hwang In-taek, who added, “We will feel confident but not overconfident and prepare well so that we can continue to the quarter-finals and semi-finals.”