Kim Eun Joong-ho’s side’s chances of advancing to the round of 16 have improved.
Kim Eun-Joong’s South Korea Under-20 team drew 2-2 with Honduras in their second Group F match of the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023 at the Malvinas Stadium in Mendoza, Argentina on Friday (July 25).
The draw leaves South Korea with a 1-1 record after a 2-1 win over France in their first group game and a chance for a second straight victory over Honduras. Topping Group F is The Gambia, who also won back-to-back games against Honduras and France.
South Korea has secured at least third place after two games. France remains winless with two losses and 0 points, while third-place Honduras is third with a 1-1 draw and 1 point.
The back-to-back defeats for France, who were the favorites to win the tournament, have completely changed the atmosphere.
South Korea will therefore face Gambia in their final group game on Sept. 29, where a win will see them top the group and a draw will see them finish second and advance directly to the round of 16. Even a loss would leave them with a gap to France for third place.
South Korea’s chances of advancing to the round of 16 are good, even though they drew their second game.
Especially if South Korea loses to the Gambia and finishes in third place. South Korea will have to fight for points with the other three teams in the group. In this tournament, the first and second place finishers in each group advance through the group stage, and the top four teams in the third place group also qualify for the round of 16.
However, with Group A through Group B complete, South Korea is ahead of the other three teams on points and goal difference.
In Group A, New Zealand is in third place with one win, one draw, and one loss (4 points). However, South Korea has the advantage because they have a goal differential of -4.
Therefore, if South Korea does not lose their final game against Gambia by six goals, they will finish ahead of New Zealand.
And even if South Korea concedes five goals to tie the score먹튀검증, they will still be ahead of New Zealand with three goals because they have already scored four goals.
In the end, South Korea already has a game in hand over third-place Slovakia (3 points) in Group B, giving them an edge in the race for a wild card into the Round of 16.
The outcome of the final Group C and D matches on Aug. 28 and the final Group E match on Aug. 29 could also determine Korea’s early qualification.