Despite numerical superiority, South Korea were held to a narrow draw by Honduras at the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023, pushing their qualification for the round of 16 to the final group game.
Kim Eun-joong’s men were unable to dominate the game despite the advantage of having a Honduran player sent off in the first half and were held to a 2-2 draw in their Group F second leg at the Mendoza Stadium in Argentina on 26 June.
The 1-1 draw leaves South Korea (4 points) second in the group behind the Gambia (6 points), who beat France 2-1 earlier in the day to secure their place in the round of 16 with a second straight win, depending on the outcome of the final match against the Gambia on 29 September. A draw in this match will guarantee a place in the round of 16, while a loss will see them finish third in the group and potentially qualify for the round of 메이저사이트16 depending on other group results.
South Korea conceded a penalty in the 22nd minute due to a foul by Choi Seok-hyun (Dankook University), which was converted by Honduras’ David Ochoa.
However, South Korea used their numerical advantage to make up for the goal in the 27th minute when Ochoa, who scored the opening goal, was shown a red card after VAR confirmed that he had struck Kang Sang-yoon (Jeonbuk) in the face during a contest.
Despite their numerical advantage, South Korea finished the first half trailing 0-1, and six minutes into the second half, Honduras conceded a counter-attack that resulted in an exquisite wind-up goal from Isaac Castillo to make it 0-2.
After the second concession, coach Kim Eun-joong took off Bae Jun-ho (Daejeon) and Park Chang-woo (Jeonbuk) in the eighth minute of the second half to bring on Park Seung-ho (Incheon) and Cho Young-kwang (Seoul) in an attempt to turn things around. Kim Yong-hak (Portimonense) picked up the ball on the right side of the Honduran goal area, drove into the middle and split the net with a left-footed turning shot.
In the 17th minute of the second half, Lee Seung-won (Gangwon), who had one goal and one assist in the first match against France, tied the score at 2-2 with a header from a left corner kick that Park Seung-ho deflected into the net.
The Koreans, who continued to pound the Honduran gates in search of a late winner, were unable to break through the opposition defence and had to settle for a point.