It’s simple. If they don’t lose against Gambia, they’re through to the round of 16. Even if they lose, the chances are good.
Kim Eun-joong’s South Korea Under-20 football team drew 2-2 with Honduras in their second Group F match of the FIFA U-20 World Cup Argentina 2023 at the Estadio Malvinas Argentinas in Mendoza, Argentina, at 6:00 a.m. ET on 26 June. The result leaves South Korea second in the group with one win and one draw (four points), while Honduras are third with one win and one draw (one point).
South Korea deployed a 4-4-2 formation. Lee Young-joon, Kang Sang-yoon, Kang Sung-jin, Lee Seung-won, Bae Jun-ho, Kim Yong-hak, Bae Seo-joon, Kim Ji-su, Choi Seok-hyun, Park Chang-woo, and Kim Jun-hong started.
There were many twists and turns from the start. South Korea conceded a penalty kick (PK) in the 20th minute to take the lead, but in the 27th minute, an opponent was sent off for a direct hit on Bae Seo-joon’s head. Korea played with numerical superiority, but went into the half trailing 0-1토토사이트.
In the second half, Korea took the initiative but failed to score. In fact, they conceded one more goal in the sixth minute of the second half. However, they didn’t give up until the end. In the 13th minute of the second half, Lee Young-joon retained possession inside the penalty box and passed the ball. Kim Yong-hak finished with his left foot to start the chase.
The score was soon levelled. In the 17th minute of the second half, Park Seung-ho headed home a ball from a corner kick by Lee Seung-won to equalise. South Korea sent on Lee Seung-jun and Hwang In-taek to try and score the equaliser, but were unable to do so. The match ended 2-2.
With one win and one draw, South Korea now have four points and are second in the group heading into the third round. So what are their chances of making the round of 16?
Firstly, the U-20 World Cup is a 24-nation tournament with groups A to F. The first two places in each group qualify for the round of 16. That leaves a total of four spots. The top three teams in each group will be ranked by points, goals for, goals against, and goals scored, with the top four qualifying for the round of 16.
A win on the 29th against Gambia in the third round of the group stage would see them top the group and qualify for the round of 16. A draw would see them finish second in the group. A win would put South Korea on seven points and the Gambia on six, while a draw would put the Gambia on seven points and South Korea on five. This means that South Korea will qualify for the round of 16 regardless of the outcome of Honduras, which currently has one point.
However, we also have to think about a loss. If the Gambia loses (South Korea has 4 points), the outcome of the Honduras-France match will be crucial. If Honduras wins (tied on four points), the standings could change depending on goal difference. A draw or a win for France would see South Korea qualify for the round of 16 as second in their group, even if they lose to the Gambia. They could also qualify for the round of 16 if they slip to third place, depending on other group situations.