The South Korea Under-20 Football Team (U-20), led by head coach Kim Eun-Joong, was unable to keep its ‘unbeaten myth’ alive as it suffered a heartbreaking defeat against Italy after being subjected to some frowned upon fouls and unsportsmanlike play.
Korea’s Kim Eun-Joong-ho lost 1-2 to Italy in the quarterfinals of the FIFA U-20 World Cup Argentina 2023 at the Estadio Ciudad de La Plata in La Plata, Argentina, at 6 a.m. ET on Monday. After conceding an early goal, the South Koreans fought back to equalize through Lee Seung-won (Gangwon FC), but were brought to their knees by a late Thul goal.
Kim Eun-Joong-ho conceded an early goal to Cesare Cassaday (Reading) in the 14th minute, but quickly equalized. In the 19th minute, Bae Jun-ho (Daejeon Hana Citizens) earned a penalty kick (PK), which was converted by Lee Seung-won (Gangwon FC). After that, they gradually regained the momentum.
However, Kim Eun-Joong-ho struggled with Italy’s rough fouls after the equalizer. The Italians blatantly used their elbows and hands to hit the face and body parts during the contest, as well as pulling their jerseys to the point of tearing and raising their feet high. The referees didn’t seem to notice, even though it could have led to serious injuries. In fact, on the day, Italy committed 26 fouls in 90 minutes. However, they only received three warnings.
Kim Eun-jong-ho managed to stay focused and hold on. He didn’t let his nerves get the better of him, even when Italy kept committing 메이저사이트 rough fouls and looking rather puzzled afterward. Even when the referee gave them a caution instead of a warning, they didn’t let it bother them. But unfortunately, a goal by Thul just before the end of the game cost them the match.
From the group stage to the round of 16, quarterfinals, and semifinals, Kim had to deal with a series of unfair calls and incomprehensible refereeing choices. Despite this, she kept her composure and reached the semifinals as an undefeated champion. He fought well again on this day, but unfortunately, he was unable to advance to the final.
With the loss, Kim was denied a second consecutive trip to the finals and will now head to the third-place playoff to face Israel, who lost 0-1 to Uruguay on June 12. Korea’s all-time record against Italy at the U-20 level is 3-2-1.
