Korea establishes itself as global U-20s powerhouse
South Korea's U-20 national football team coach Kim Eun-jung looks at his players during the third-place match against Israel at La Plata Stadium in Argentina, Sunday. / Yonhap
By John Duerden
South Korea was disappointed not to be returning home from Argentina with the FIFA U-20 World Cup this weekend and rightly so, as the team has shown in the past that it has what it takes to become champions. The loss in the semifinal on Thursday was a painful one, as these young Taeguk Warriors could very well have come back with the title.
Over the past few tournaments, Korea has really been a force to be reckoned with ― just take a look at their record at past Under-20 World Cups. This has been the seventh edition since 2009 and during that time there has been one failure to qualify, but the team has progressed past the group stage in the other six. There have been two Round of 16 appearances, two times the team has reached the last eight, there has now been one semifinal place and, in the last tournament back in 2019, Korea went all the way to the final only to lose to Ukraine.
This is the record of a team that has the capability to lift the trophy and that should always be the ambition. Korea has been knocking on the door for years. That is one reason why there is sadness at losing 2-1 to Italy on Thursday, as it was a game that could have been won. Cesare Casadei opened the scoring after 14 minutes only for Lee Seung-won to level from the penalty spot nine minutes later. With the game drifting towards extra time, Simone Pafundi fired home a free kick and there was not enough time for Korea to get back into the game.
It was a cruel way for the team's time in South America to come to an end as their sights were set on the title, which would have been the first-ever world championship for Korean men at any age level, though the women won the U-17 title in 2010.
“As the match progressed, our players had the edge in focus and fitness. We were able to create good chances because of that," coach Kim Eun-jung said. "And we still lost the match. That's why the players and I are so devastated now."
They should be devastated and that is the attitude that Korea should take into any tournament. Winning the senior title is still some time away as was demonstrated in that 4-1 defeat at the hands of Brazil at the 2022 World Cup, when the gulf between the two teams was clear for all to see.
The youngsters have shown that they can compete with the best, however. “They sacrificed for the team and gave more than 100 percent," Kim said. "They must have felt slighted by such low expectations, but they never showed their frustration. They have come this far with a singular goal in their minds and have proven themselves on the pitch. I'd like to pat them on their backs for such hard work and dedication."
The challenge has always been to help the young talents progress to the senior side, which has not always happened in the past. The same can be said of coach Kim ― a former striker ― who, at the age of 44, has shown that he could have a bright future on the sidelines especially as he has experience working in Belgium.
Coming back with the trophy would have been even better but there should be more successes to come.