The U20 soccer team led by coach Kim Eun-joong advanced to the quarterfinals by finishing first in Group C at the 2023 U20 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup. Korea will challenge the 2nd place in Group D to qualify for the semifinals of the tournament and the 2023 FIFA finals.
On the 8th (Korean time), Kim Eun-joong scored a 0-0 draw against Tajikistan in the third match of the Group C group stage held at Bunyodkor Stadium in Uzbekistan. Korea, which previously defeated Oman 4-0 and Jordan 2-0 respectively, took first place in the group with 2 wins and 1 draw (7 points). Jordan, with 1 win, 1 draw and 1 loss (4 points), followed Korea in second place in the group.
In this tournament, 16 teams are divided into 4 groups of 4 teams to play the group stage, and the 1st and 2nd places in each group advance to the quarterfinals to decide the winner through a tournament.
The tournament also serves as an Asian qualifier for the 2023 FIFA U20 World Cup, so teams that advance to the semifinals of the tournament will be given the right to participate in the finals.
So, attention is focused on the quarterfinals, the last hurdle to advance to the World Cup. Especially in Group D, there are many difficult teams such as Japan, Saudi Arabia, and China, so attention is focused on who will be second in the group.
In Group D, which has yet to play the 3rd match of the group stage, Japan has 2 wins (6 points, +4 points), China has 1 win and 1 loss (3 points, +1 points), and Saudi Arabia has 1 win and 1 loss (3 points, points – 1) is being recorded. In the final match, Japan and Saudi Arabia will meet, and China and Kyrgyzstan will meet respectively.
Even if Japan draws only a draw, it is most likely that it will not meet Korea, as it will be confirmed as group 1. However, if Japan loses to Saudi Arabia by a large score difference, the three teams are tied with 2 wins and 1 loss, and there is a good chance that Japan will come second depending on the goal difference. 안전놀이터
If Japan finishes second in Group D, fateful rivals Korea and Japan will have to fight over a single bridge for one ticket to the World Cup finals.
In particular, the recent Korean national team lost 0-3 in two matches in a row in the warm-up match and the East Asian Cup, the U23 national team lost 0-3 in the Asian Cup quarterfinals, and the U17 national team lost 0-3 in the International Dream Cup. The national team showed a particularly weak appearance against Japan. In other words, Korea is given a ‘chance for revenge’ at an important street corner.