Kim Eun-joong, who started challenging the FIFA Under-20 (U-20) World Cup amidst various bad news such as indifference and injury, far exceeded expectations and finished in 4th place, leading the Korean football scene. revealed the future
The Korean national team, led by coach Kim Eun-joong, finished the tournament in 4th place after losing 1-3 to Israel in the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup 3rd and 4th place match held at La Plata Stadium in Argentina on the 12th (Korean time).
Although they failed to win the prize, it is evaluated as a ‘full achievement’ just by achieving the second best semifinal result after the runner-up in the 2019 Polish tournament.먹튀검증
In the beginning, expectations for Kim Eun-joong were very low.
In Kim Eun-joong-ho, there were almost no players that soccer fans would know. With the exception of Kim Yong-hak (Portimonense), an overseas player, and Bae Jun-ho (Daejeon Hana Citizen), who were the only ones who consistently had opportunities to play in the K-League, they were virtually unknown.
The atmosphere was completely opposite to that of the 2019 Polish tournament, where Lee Kang-in (Mallorca), an exceptional player, drew attention.
Kim Eun-joong, who was even evaluated as a ‘valley generation’, was not frustrated. Taking advantage of indifference, they changed into a stronger team.
Coach Kim Eun-joong said after the quarterfinal match against Nigeria, “It hurts that players who have not been noticed have potential, but are not recognized. Our coaching staff treated the players with sincerity.” It seems to come out,” he said.
Injuries also plagued Kim Eun-joong.
Midfielder Lee Hyun-joo of Bayern Munich, a prestigious German team, and striker Seong Jin-young (Korea University), who played an active part in the U-20 Asian Cup earlier this year, have been sidelined due to injuries.
Bae Jun-ho also suffered a muscle injury and was unable to show his full potential in the group stage.
A month before the opening of the tournament, an absurd situation unfolded when the venue was changed from Indonesia to Argentina.
Kim Eun-joong had to completely revise the training plan he had prepared to suit the Indonesian environment.
Kim Eun-joong, who started the tournament amidst concerns, surprised everyone with a winning streak.
In the first match of the group stage, France, which was considered a ‘champion candidate’, was defeated 2-1, causing a ‘bizarre’, and advanced to the round of 16 by finishing second in the group.
They advanced to the semifinals by winning 3-2 against Ecuador in the round of 16 and 1-0 after overtime against Nigeria in the quarterfinals.
In the semi-final against Italy, they lost 1-2.
Director Kim Eun-joong’s solid practical soccer shined.
He showed a level of organizational power that is difficult to find in the national team, which makes a team in a situation where regular training is not possible.
The set pieces and counterattacks, which are the main scoring routes, were also highly complete.
In particular, Kim Eun-joong scored a total of 10 goals in this tournament, 6 of which came from set pieces.
Except for two goals from penalty kicks, all four goals from set pieces were scored with headers following corner kicks and free kick crosses by Lee Seung-won (Gangwon), whose kicks were accurate.
Lee Seung-won scored 3 goals and 4 assists, making a big success over Lee Kang-in (2 goals, 4 assists, Mallorca) in 2019.
It is regrettable that Kim Eun-joong, who had an unexpected performance, was unable to rise to a higher level because he was caught in a ‘stamina problem’.