On the other side of the world in Argentina, chants for Kim Eun-Joong-ho’s team to win the quarterfinals of the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023 woke up Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square토토사이트. Even though the team lost, they stayed focused, and the crowd applauded their efforts. President Yoon Seok-yeol encouraged them, saying they “gave the people hope and courage.”

The South Korean U-20 men’s soccer team, coached by Kim Eun-joong, lost their quarterfinal match against Italy 1-0 at the La Plata Stadium in Argentina on Sept. 9 (KST). After conceding an early goal to Cesare Cassaday in the 14th minute, Lee Seung-won equalized in the 23rd minute, but conceded a free-kick winner to Simone Papundi in the 41st minute, four minutes before the end of regular time.

The team will now face Israel in the third-place match at 2:30 a.m. on Nov. 12 at La Plata Stadium. Head coach Kim Eun-joong praised the players for their dedication to the team and giving more than 100 percent, and vowed to “play without regrets” in the third-place match.

It was 6 p.m. on the 8th in Argentina and 6 a.m. on the 9th in South Korea, exactly 12 hours apart due to the time difference. Dressed in their national team jerseys and equipped with their own cheering gear, soccer fans gathered at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul before dawn to cheer the team on.

Soccer fans cheer for South Korea’s national team as they compete in the quarterfinals of the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Argentina at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on Monday. Yonhap News

Football fans cheer for the South Korean national team as they play Argentina in the quarterfinals of the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

Chung Mong-kyu (R), president of the Korea Football Association, and Kim Byung-jun, acting president of the Korea Federation of Businessmen and Entrepreneurs, talk while watching the FIFA U-20 World Cup quarterfinal match between Argentina and South Korea at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Monday. Yonhap

Chung Mong-kyu, president of the Korea Football Association, and Kim Byung-jun, acting president of the Federation of Korean Businessmen and Entrepreneurs, also visited Gwanghwamun Square wearing the national team’s jerseys. The KFA announced on Sept. 7 that it would hold a group cheer at Gwanghwamun Square with Seoul and the Red Devils.

After the game, President Yun Suk-yeol posted on Facebook, “The Korean U-20 national soccer team fought well. Coach Kim Eun-joong’s leadership and the fight of the players, who reached the quarterfinals, gave hope and courage to the people,” he wrote.

“When you overcame yourself and went beyond your limits, I and the entire Korean people were deeply moved. No matter what, if you don’t lose your determination and faith, the path you want will surely appear. You are the future of Korean soccer,” he said, adding, “I will support your challenges along with the Korean people.”