Despite their numerical superiority at the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) U-20 World Cup 2023, South Korea were held to a disappointing draw by Honduras, pushing their qualification for the round of 16 to their final group game.
Kim Eun-joong’s men were unable to dominate the game and drew 2-2 in their Group F second leg at the Mendoza Stadium in Argentina on Saturday (Sept. 26), despite having the advantage of having a Honduran player sent off in the first half.
With the 1-1 draw (4 points),메이저사이트 South Korea finished second in the group behind the Gambia (6 points), who beat France 2-1 earlier in the day to secure a second straight win and a spot in the Round of 16, depending on the outcome of the final match against the Gambia on Monday. A draw in the match would guarantee a spot in the round of 16, while a loss would see them finish third in the group and potentially qualify for the round of 16 depending on other group results.
South Korea conceded a penalty kick in the 22nd minute due to a foul by Choi Seok-hyun (Dankook University), which was converted by Honduras’ David Ochoa.
However, South Korea used their numerical advantage to make up for the goal in the 27th minute when Ochoa, who scored the opening goal, was shown a red card after VAR confirmed that he hit Kang Sang-yoon (Jeonbuk) in the face with his hand during a contest.
Despite the numerical advantage, South Korea finished the first half trailing 0-1, and in the sixth minute of the second half, Honduras conceded a counterattack that resulted in an exquisite wind-up goal by Isaac Castillo to make it 0-2.
After the second concession, coach Kim Eun-joong took off Bae Jun-ho (Daejeon) and Park Chang-woo (Jeonbuk) in the eighth minute of the second half to bring on Park Seung-ho (Incheon) and Cho Young-kwang (Seoul) in an attempt to turn things around. Kim Yong-hak (Portimonense) received the ball on the right side of the Honduran goal area, drove into the center and split the goal with a left-footed turning shot.
In the 17th minute of the second half, Lee Seung-won (Gangwon), who had one goal and one assist in the first match against France, tied the score at 2-2 with a header from a left corner kick that Park Seung-ho slightly changed direction.
After that, South Korea, who steadily pounded the Honduran gates in search of the game-winning goal, were unable to break through the opponent’s defense and had to settle for a point.