Quick substitutions and repositioning…Eun Jung-ho Kim manages to catch up in the end

After conceding two early goals, Korea U-20 coach Kim Eun-jung’s early substitutions and positional adjustments paid off to earn a draw.

Kim Eun-Joong-ho scored twice as South Korea drew 2-2 with Honduras in their FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023 Group F match at the Mendoza Stadium in Argentina on Saturday (26 June). South Korea conceded an early penalty corner goal and a late goal when they were outnumbered. However, a series of positional adjustments and quick substitutions proved to be the difference in the end, as Korea held on for a draw.

South Korea started the match in a 4-4-2 formation. With a thick defensive block in front of them, they succeeded in closing down the midfield, but were shaken by Honduras’ flanks. The Honduran flankers tried to dribble aggressively against the Korean defence.메이저놀이터

After conceding the lead, South Korea adjusted their players’ positions slightly. Bae Joon-ho and Kang Sung-jin were deployed on the flanks, while Kim Yong-hak and Kang Sang-yoon supported the midfield. Despite this, Korea conceded an early goal. In the 16th minute, substitute Daniel Carter was fouled in the box and awarded a penalty kick (PK). Kicker David Lewis converted the PK to give South Korea the lead.

Down 1-0 at the break, South Korea were dealt a blow in the fifth minute of the second half on the counter-attack. On the counterattack, Isaac Castillo attempted a mid-range shot that deflected off the defence and rattled the Korean goal. Coach Kim Eun-joong pulled out his substitution card. In the ninth minute of the second half, he took off Bae Jun-ho and Park Chang-woo and introduced Park Seung-ho and Cho Young-kwang. He also adjusted the players’ positions slightly. Kang Sung-jin and Kim Yong-hak actively switched positions to threaten their opponents.

It worked. Kim Yong-hak, who moved to the centre at the end of the first half, scored the winning goal in the 13th minute of the second half after cutting into the box from the right. Four minutes later, from a corner kick, substitute Park Seung-ho neatly headed home to equalise.

Although the Koreans were unable to complete the comeback, they managed to hold on for a point in a game that was in jeopardy due to back-to-back concessions. The draw leaves South Korea second in Group F with four points (W1 D1 L1). Although they did not qualify for the round of 16, they have a relatively favourable position. In the tournament, which features 24 nations in six groups, the first and second place finishers in each group, as well as the four best third-placed teams, qualify for the round of 16. Meanwhile, their final group opponents, the Gambia, had already booked their place in the round of 16 after beating France on the same day. They are likely to rotate their squad for the final match in order to manage their fitness. The third Group F match between South Korea and the Gambia will be played at the same venue on the 29th.