By Han Jae-hyun Reporter= Kim Eun-joong’s side finished second in their group with a hard-fought draw against African dark horses Gambia.
The South Korea U-20 team, led by head coach Kim Eun-jung, drew 0-0 with the Gambia in their final Group F match of the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup at the Mendoza Stadium in Argentina on Monday at 6 a.m. ET.
The draw secured a second-place finish in the group with one win, two draws and five points to advance to the Round of 16. They will face Ecuador on June 2 at 6 a.m. for a spot in the quarterfinals.
South Korea started the match with Hwang In-Taek, Lee Chan-Wook, Park Hyun-Bin, Lee Seung-Won, Lee Young-Joon, Kang Sung-Jin, Choi Ye-Hoon, Cho Young-Kwang, Lee Ji-Han, and Kim Ji-Soo in goal in place of Kim Jun-Hong, who missed the match due to accumulated cautions.
Korea opened the scoring in the 10th minute with a threatening left-footed mid-range shot from Kang Sung-jin, but it was deflected by the defense.
After that, the Gambia’s offense was fierce. The Gambia rattled Korea with threatening ground balls. In the 21st minute, Bojang’s header went wide. In the 26th minute, Ba’s right-footed shot was blocked by Moon Hyun-ho.
Moon kept the Gambian offense at bay. Saidikhan’s header in the 35th minute and Marong’s right-footed shot in the 42nd minute were headed straight at Moon. South Korea ended the first half at 0-0 with the Gambia no longer in danger. 안전놀이터
The Gambia continued to threaten in the early stages of the second half, but Moon was in the way. Moon made back-to-back saves on Bojang’s free header in the first minute of the second half and Saidikhan’s left-footed shot in the fifth minute.
South Korea fought back. Kang Sung-jin’s left-footed shot was saved by Dampa in the 11th minute, and Lee Young-joon’s header from Kim Yong-hak’s cross went wide in the 20th minute.
Moon Hyun-ho saved South Korea again in the 21st minute when he reached out to block a shot from Kohli with the ball still in the air, only for the ball to hit the post and find its way back to Moon.
South Korea made a change in the 25th minute, bringing on Lee Seung-jun. Within a minute of his introduction, Lee had a no-mark opportunity, but his shot was saved by Dampa.
The Gambia continued to harass Korea until the end. Bojang attempted a left-footed turning shot in the 36th minute, but it narrowly missed the side of the goal. The match ended in a 0-0 draw with South Korea holding the Gambia scoreless.