S. Korean U-20 team arrives in Łódź for the final match

South Korean U-20 national team arrived in Łódź, Poland on Wednesday for the final match against Ukraine in the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup.

The South Korean team has already created a miracle in Lublin, Poland by advancing to the final of any FIFA men's tournament for the first time in the country’s football history. Another miracle may be awaiting in Łódź, the first Polish city in which the national team set their feet.

The 2019 U-20 World Cup matches have been played in six cities so far. The South Korean team competed in Bielsko-Biala, Tychy, and Lublin, and finally reached Łódź. One more win will make South Korea the first Asian country to win the U-20 World Cup, which took place 21 times before.

Although the South Korean team’s advancement to the final was expected by almost no one, the team’s chance to beat its final opponent Ukraine is not unimaginable according to football experts. South Korea also gets to enjoy an unexpected opportunity as key striker of the Ukrainian team Denys Popov who scored three goals is suspended due to accumulated yellow cards.

Lee Kang-in (Valencia CF) and other players, as well as head coach Chung Jeong-yong, of the South Korean team are determined to earn the glorious win to “stay as long as possible in Poland and make great memories.” There is only one more hurdle left. Team Korea’s young hearts are now getting ready for the final stretch to write a new chapter in the South Korean football history.


Seung-Kun Lee why@donga.com