The South Korea U-20 soccer team, led by head coach Kim Eun-joong, has advanced to the round of 16.

The 2023 Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) U-20 World Cup is being held in Argentina and features 24 nations토토사이트 divided into six groups. The four best-performing teams from the first, second, and third place finishers in each group will compete for the title in the round of 16 tournament.

In Group F, South Korea knocked off powerhouse France in their first round match, with Lee Seung-won (Gangwon FC) and Lee Young-joon (Gimcheon Sangmu) scoring a goal apiece on a counterattack and a set play. Despite conceding a penalty due to a questionable call, they held on for a 2-1 victory.

With three points, Korea went into the match against Honduras with confidence. Unexpectedly, South Korea struggled. They conceded a penalty and then had an opponent sent off, which gave them a numerical advantage, but they conceded another goal early in the second half.

South Korea refused to give up. Kim Yong-hak (Portimonense) pulled one back and then Park Seung-ho (Incheon United) equalized. Although they were unable to pull off the upset, they earned a valuable point and put themselves in a good position to advance to the Round of 16.

In the end, a win over France and a point against Honduras were enough to secure early qualification for the Round of 16. In the four groups that completed the three-match schedule, only New Zealand (4 points) and Nigeria (6 points) in Pool A and Pool D had more than four points. Pool B’s third-place Slovakia (3 points) and Pool C’s third-place Japan (3 points) both lost. South Korea (4 points), who secured at least a third-place finish with two matches remaining, also advanced to the round of 16.

This is South Korea’s third consecutive round of 16 appearance, starting with the round of 16 in 2017 as hosts and ending with a runner-up finish in 2019. They have also made the tournament stage in each of the last seven editions, with the exception of 2015, when they failed to advance.

The momentum continues when you expand the scope to the national teams. Starting with a runner-up finish at the 2019 U-20 World Cup in Poland, followed by the quarterfinals of the 2019 U-17 World Cup in Brazil, the quarterfinals of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, and the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the challenge is ongoing. This is the fifth consecutive tournament organized by FIFA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

“The round of 16 doesn’t happen just because you want to meet a team,” Kim said through the Korea Football Association, adding that they will do their best no matter who they meet.