“We must win to advance to the round of 16.”
After defeating ‘favorites’ France, the South Korean Under-20 National Team will now take on their second opponent, Honduras, to try and secure an early berth in the round of 16 at the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023.
The Korea U-20s,토토사이트 led by head coach Kim Eun-joong, will take on North and Central American powerhouse Honduras at 6 a.m. on Saturday at the Mendoza Stadium in Argentina in their second Group F match of the tournament. After a 2-1 win over France in the first match of the tournament, led by a goal and an assist from “Captain” Lee Seung-won, South Korea is tied atop Group F with The Gambia (3 points – Goals for +1), who also beat Honduras 2-1.
Kim Eun-joong, head coach of the South Korea U-20 national soccer team, speaks to players before training at the Club Deportivo Godoy Cruz Training Center in Mendoza, Argentina, on Sept. 23 (local time). Courtesy of the Korea Football Association
The best-case scenario would be for South Korea to beat Honduras in the second round and The Gambia to lose to France. In that case, South Korea would clinch at least second place and qualify for the Round of 16 early, regardless of the outcome of the Gambia’s third-place game. Two wins would also earn them a “Round of 16 wild card,” which is awarded to the four best-performing teams in the tournament’s top six groups, even if they fall to third place. That’s why the second game against Honduras is so important. A good result against Honduras will allow South Korea to say goodbye to the “what ifs” of international tournaments early and prepare for the next stage. South Korea leads the all-time series against Honduras at the U-20 level with two wins (2-1 in 2005 and 3-2 in 2017).
One player to watch out for for Honduras is Marco Aseitu, who scored the equalizer against Gambia. He is an excellent attacking option who finished second in scoring at the 2022 North and Central American U-20 Championship with six goals and was named to the tournament’s Best 11.
South Korea’s mood after defeating ‘nemesis’ France is one of confidence and calm. The team focused on recovery training at the Mendoza Training Center on Wednesday (Nov. 23). The players are determined to put their victory over France behind them and go all out against Honduras. Center back Kim Ji-soo (Seongnam), who played a solid defense against France, said, “We won’t get carried away because we won one game against France. We will recover as quickly as possible and prepare well for the next match.” “We will prepare for the Honduras match with the same mindset as the first time. We will try our best to win the match.” “We will put everything on the line to win against Honduras,” said Kim Jun-hong (Gimcheon).
All eyes will be on Kim Eun-joong-ho, who showed great organizational skills, to continue the momentum from the first game and defeat Honduras to secure early qualification for the Round of 16.