South Korea’s hopes of advancing to the round of 16 at the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2023 were dashed as they were unlucky in goal again in their second match against France.
Byun Sung-hwan’s men lost 0-1 to France in their second Group E match of the tournament at the Jakarta International Stadium in Indonesia on Friday.
The “Little Taegeuk Warriors,” who battled well against the U.S. in the first match, lost 1-3 after hitting the post twice.
With the two losses, South Korea remains in third place (goal difference -4), tied with Burkina Faso in fourth place (goal difference -4) but ahead of them on goal difference.
France leads the standings (6 points, +4 goal differential), while the United States, which beat Burkina Faso 2-1 earlier in the day, remains in second place (6 points, +3 goal differential).
The tournament features 24 nations divided into six groups, with the four best-placed teams from each group advancing to the round of 16.
South Korea must win their third match against Burkina Faso at the Harupat Stadium in Bandung at 9 p.m. on Aug. 18 to have a slim chance of finishing third in the group and qualifying for the round of 16.
Compared to the first match, South Korea made only one change in the starting lineup, switching from Cha Je-hoon (Junggyeonggo) to Lim Hyun-seop (Suwon U-18s) in the defensive midfield.
As in the first leg, Kim Myung-joon (Pohang) was up front, while Yang Min-hyuk (Gangwon) and Yoon Do-young (Daejeon) played on the left and right flanks.
In the midfield, Jin Tae-ho (Jeonbuk) and Baek In-woo (Yongin Football Center) played in front of Lim Hyun-seop.
The back line was composed of Seo Jeong-hyuk (Jeonbuk), Yoo Min-joon (Seongnam), Kang Min-woo (Ulsan), and Bae Sung-ho (Daejeon) from the left, while Hong Sung-min (Pohang) wore the goalkeeping gloves.
South Korea had a difficult start to the match, conceding in the first two minutes.
France rattled the Korean goal when Ismail Bounebe, who took a corner kick on the right, sent a pass diagonally backwards like a cutback, which Mathieu Amougou finished with a non-stop right-footed mid-range shot.
After taking the early lead, France lowered the tempo and relaxed into the game, while South Korea attacked with intent, but were frequently disrupted by poor passing and were unable to create many chances.
In the 21st minute, Kim Myung-joon’s non-stop shooting following a low cross from Baek In-woo was blocked by a defender who was in position first, and in the 41st minute, Kim Myung-joon’s sliding finish from a penetrating pass was blocked by the goalkeeper.
Coach Byun Sung-hwan made a change at the start of the second half, bringing on Lee Su-ro (Jeonbuk) in place of Seo Jeong-hyeok.
South Korea continued to push forward in the second half and created a crucial scoring opportunity in the 13th minute of the second half, but were unable to capitalize on the goal.
Baek In-woo beat his man on the right and sent a high cross to the other side where Jin Tae-ho ran onto it and finished with a left-footed non-stop shot that hit the right post.
After hitting the post twice in the first leg against the U.S., South Korea found the back of the net for the third time in the tournament.
With Lee Chang-woo (Bogor) and Cha Je-hoon in place of Lim Hyun-seop and Bae Sung-ho in the 17th minute of the second half, and Kim Yoo-gun (Seoul) in place of Yoo Min-joon in the 28th minute, South Korea tried to attack the French defense more aggressively, who were tiring relatively early on, but were unable to find the equalizer they were hoping for. 토토사이트