Kim Eun-Joong-ho drew with Honduras.
Kim Eun-Joong’s U-20 team drew 2-2 with Honduras in their second group game of the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023 in Mendoza, Argentina, kick-off at 6:00 a.m. on Saturday (26 June). It was a stunning comeback from 0-2 down to equalise.
The 1-1 draw puts South Korea in second place in the group with four points, behind leaders Gambia (six), and improves their chances of qualifying for the round of 16.메이저놀이터
South Korea fielded a nearly identical starting XI to the one used against France. With the exception of Bae Joon-ho, who returned from injury to start, there were no changes to the rest of the side.
South Korea surrendered early possession to Honduras. The Hondurans were aggressive, moving left and right and looking for chances.
Amidst the chaos, a call went against Korea. In the 19th minute, the referee called a foul on Choi Seok-hyun as he blocked Daniel Carter in the right corner of the penalty box. The referee initially waved it off, but after a VAR review, a penalty kick was awarded. It was a rather ambiguous call. It wasn’t clear whether there was a collision or not, and Carter appeared to lose his footing and fall. However, the referee saw it as a foul on Choi Seok-hyun. It was a bit of a grey area for South Korea.
Kicker David Ochoa converted, and South Korea went down 0-1. It was the second consecutive game that South Korea conceded from the penalty spot.
Five minutes later, there was another twist. Ochoa, who had scored the opening goal, got into a fight for the ball on the touchline and punched Bae Seo-joon. The blow was made with intent and with his arm, so the referee checked the VAR and showed a red card.
With the numerical advantage, South Korea took control of the game and looked for chances. In the 42nd minute, Kim Yong-hak unleashed a powerful shot from the right corner of the penalty box that was saved by the goalkeeper.
With six minutes of stoppage time awarded after two VAR reviews, South Korea continued to press forward, with Kim Yong-hak once again threatening the opposition with a mid-range shot but unable to break through the tight Honduran defence.
At the start of the second half, Kim made a change at left-back. Bae Seo-joon came off and Choi Ye-hoon came on.
South Korea pushed Honduras hard from the start of the second half. They constantly threatened the goal with shots on target.
The good momentum didn’t last long. Five minutes into the second half, they conceded a goal on a single attack. Isaac Castillo exchanged two-on-one passes with a teammate before attempting a right-footed curling shot that bounced once before finding the corner of the net.
With the game on the line, Kim made a change in the eighth minute of the second half, taking off Bae Jun-ho and Park Chang-woo for Park Seung-ho and Cho Young-kwang. It was a move to strengthen the attack.
South Korea then knocked on the door with a high-tempo attack and eventually scored the winner. In the 12th minute of the second half, Kim Yong-hak scored with a left-footed shot from Lee Young-joon’s pass inside the penalty box.
With momentum on their side, South Korea equalised in the 17th minute of the second half when Park Seung-ho headed home a corner kick from the left by Lee Seung-won to rattle the net. Kim’s substitute card was spot on. However, Park Seung-ho was replaced by Lee Seung-jun with an injury just four minutes after the goal.
South Korea pushed forward to get back into the game. In the 41st minute, Cho Young-kwang’s cross hit the crossbar instead of the goalkeeper’s hands.
In stoppage time, a quick counter-attack created a chance. Kim Yong-hak made a quick run into the box and passed the ball to Kang Sung-jin, who tried to shoot, but his effort was saved by the goalkeeper.
In the final minutes of the game, defender Choi Seok-hyun was sent off for accumulating cautions and the game ended in a tie.