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| Korean players hold up their national flag, Taegeukgi, to celebrate their 1-0 victory over Nigeria in the quarterfinals at the FIFA U-20 World Cup at Santiago del Estero Stadium in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, June 4. Yonhap |
Against all odds, Korea, a team of unheralded overachievers, find themselves a win away from reaching the final of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Argentina.
Standing between the young Taegeuk Warriors and a piece of Korean football history will be Italy.
The two countries will battle in the semifinals at La Plata Stadium in La Plata, eastern Argentina, starting at 6 p.m. Thursday local time, or 6 a.m. Friday in Seoul time.
Both teams also made the semifinals at the previous U-20 World Cup in 2019, with the 2021 tournament having been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Korea beats Ecuador 1-0 then to make the final, while Italy lost to the eventual champions Ukraine 1-0.
Korea, the only undefeated team still left in this competition with three wins and two draws, have never played in back-to-back finals at any FIFA-sanctioned event.
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| Choi Seok-hyun of Korea celebrates his goal against Nigeria during the teams' quarterfinal match at the FIFA U-20 World Cup at Santiago del Estero Stadium in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, June 4. Yonhap |
Compared to the 2019 squad, this year's Korean team lacks star power. Four years ago, precocious midfielder Lee Kang-in, despite playing underage at 18, won the Golden Ball as the tournament MVP. His teammates included some future K League regulars and senior national team members such as Cho Young-wook, Um Won-sang, Oh Se-hun and Go Jae-hyeon.
Individually, players on this year's team have little of similar potential, though Kim Yong-hak does bring some pedigree after making his senior debut with the Portuguese club Portimonense late last year.
Kim, though, hasn't been Korea's best player at this tournament. Some of his domestic league-based teammates, such as captain Lee Seung-won, have been carrying the load. Lee leads Korea with four assists, all of them coming on set pieces.
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| Korea's Under-20 Manager Kim Eun-Jung, right, embraces his defender Choi Seok-hyun after Choi scored against Nigeria during the teams' quarterfinal match at the FIFA U-20 World Cup at Santiago del Estero Stadium in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, June 4. Yonhap |
And head coach Kim Eun-jung has been pushing all the right buttons in getting the most out of his team.
The usually stoic coach was overcome with emotion after Korea's 1-0, extra-time win over Nigeria in the quarterfinals on Sunday, when he spoke about how his team only faced doubts about their abilities and few, if any, observers back home believed Korea could get this far into the tournament.
The improbable underdog story will now feature a new antagonist in the high-scoring Italian team.
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| Lee Seung-won of Korea, right, tries to block a pass attempt against Nigeria during the teams' quarterfinal match at the FIFA U-20 World Cup at Santiago del Estero Stadium in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, June 4. Yonhap |
Of the four semifinal contestants ― Israel and Uruguay being the others ― Italy have scored the most goals so far with 11. They scored six times in three group matches and five more in two knockout matches.
They have scored multiple goals in every match but one, the lone exception being a 2-0 loss to Nigeria in their second group stage game.
Midfielder Cesare Casadei leads Italy and the entire tournament with six goals. He has scored in every Italy victory so far.
Korea has conceded three penalty goals so far and must stay disciplined against Italy, with Casadei having converted two penalties.
Korea will once again be considered underdogs in the semifinals but their players are confident they can keep marching on.
"Our initial goal was to make it to the round of 16, and I can't even describe how excited I am to have reached the semifinals," midfielder Park Hyun-bin said, in an interview clip released by the Korea Football Association on Monday. "If we can play well as a team the way we have all along, I think we can advance to the final."
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| Lee Young-jun of Korea, right, battles Benjamin Fredrick of Nigeria for the ball during the teams' quarterfinal match at the FIFA U-20 World Cup at Santiago del Estero Stadium in Santiago del Estero, Argentina, June 4. Yonhap |
Park, who started against Ecuador in the round of 16 and then was subbed in against Nigeria in the second half, added, "I'll try to do my part to help keep pushing this team."
Defender Bae Seo-joon also said it will take a total team effort to get past Italy.
"I don't think a lot of people expected us to be in the semifinals, but we've come this far because we've stuck together as a team in every match and followed our head coach's lead," Bae said. "We'll try to prepare for Italy the best we can. I hope people back home keep cheering us on." (Yonhap)
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