S. Korea's U-20 Football Team secures draw with Honduras

The South Korean Under-20 (U-20) football team held Honduras to a draw in the recent FIFA U-20 World Cup match, bolstering their chances for advancing to the Round of 16, even in the event of a draw in their upcoming third match against Gambia.

Under the leadership of Coach Kim Eun-jung, the South Korean team managed a 2-2 draw against Honduras in Group F's second match staged at the Mendoza Stadium in Argentina on Friday. Despite suffering an early setback by conceding two goals, South Korea rallied back, equalizing the score with goals from Kim Yong-hak and Park Seung-ho. This performance has positioned South Korea as second in the group, following Gambia, who has secured their Round of 16 spot with two wins. Honduras currently ranks third in the group, while France, without any points, remains in last place.

The South Korean team faces their final group match against Gambia at 6 a.m. next Monday. A victory would ensure South Korea's position as group leader, while a draw would still enable them to advance to the Round of 16 as the group's runner-up.

South Korea had a rocky start in the previous match, conceding a penalty goal to David Ochoa just 22 minutes into the first half. However, only five minutes later, Ochoa was sent off for illegal hand-to-face action against Kang Sang-yoon. Despite the setback of an additional goal conceded six minutes into the second half, South Korea proved resilient. A left-footed shot from Kim Yong-hak in the 13th minute marked the beginning of the team's comeback. This was closely followed by a well-placed header from Park Seung-ho, connecting to a corner kick served by Lee Seung-won. This secured the much-needed draw. Looking ahead, Coach Kim Eun-jung reflected, "We could have scored more, which is regrettable. We must pour more than 100% into the upcoming match against Gambia."

South Korea's third match against Gambia may prove challenging, as they will be without central defender Choi Seok-hyun and goalkeeper Kim Jun-hong, both ruled out due to respective ejections and accumulated cautions. Further complicating matters, the status of Park Seung-ho, who suffered an ankle injury, remains uncertain.


Dong-Wook Kim creating@donga.com