Kim Eun-jung-ho’s ‘flyer’ Kim Yong-hak (Portimonense)먹튀검증 was disappointed with the draw against Honduras.
Kim Eun-jung’s South Korea drew 2-2 with Honduras in their second Group F match of the FIFA U-20 World Cup Argentina 2023 at the Mendoza Stadium in Mendoza, Argentina, on 26 June, thanks to goals from Kim Yong-hak (Portimonense) and Park Seung-ho (Incheon).
South Korea, who beat France 2-1 in the first leg, are second in the group with a 1-1 draw. Gambia, who beat Honduras and France, are top of the standings with six points, followed by Honduras (one point) and France (zero) in third and fourth place.
The tournament will see the top four teams from each of the first and second place groups and the top three from each of the six groups advance to the round of 16. South Korea’s place in the round of 16 will be determined by the result of their final match against the Gambia. A win over the Gambia will see them finish first, while a draw will see them finish second.
Kim Yong-hak high-fives a teammate after scoring a goal against Honduras on 26 June. /Photo=Korea Football Association
Kim Eun-joong, head coach of the South Korea U-20 football team. /Photo=Korea Football Association
South Korea conceded a penalty kick (PK) to Ochoa in the 18th minute. Five minutes later, Ochoa was sent off for punching Bae Seo-Joon (Daejeon) in the face. However, they conceded another goal through Castillo in the fifth minute of the second half to go down 0-2. The Koreans pushed on and scored a late consolation goal from Kim Yong-hak in the 13th minute and an equaliser from Park Seung-ho in the 17th minute to finish the match 2-2.
After the match, Kim Yong-joong told the Korea Football Association (KFA), “(We) had the numerical advantage, but it was difficult to score because they dropped their line. We lacked composure in our chances, and it’s a shame because we could have scored more.”
Kim’s substitutions paid off. After introducing Park Seung-ho at the start of the second half, the attack became more active. Park Seung-ho proved to be the solution, scoring the equaliser with an exquisite header in the 17th minute of the second half. However, he had to leave shortly afterwards due to injury. “It was an unexpected injury, but we have to see how he is. We have other resources, so we’re not too worried about it. We will prepare well for the Gambia match.”
For now, the most important thing for Kim is to regain his fitness. “I need to give 100% against the Gambia, so my recovery is the most important thing right now. I will recover well and give my best effort,” he said.
Kim Yong-hak scored the winning goal to start the comeback from a 0-2 deficit. “Before the game, I was looking for a lot of space in the back of the opponent’s side, and it worked,” he said. “The players are disappointed that we didn’t get the result despite our numerical advantage,” he said.
“I think we lost concentration in the final passing phase and in our shooting chances,” he said of the lack of goals. “We are not out of the group yet,” said Kim Yong-hak. We will do our best to win the game against Gambia.”