Japan was stunned by South Korea’s street support.
The South Korea Under-20 (U-20) National Team, led by head coach Kim Eun-joong, will face Italy in the quarterfinals of the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup at La Plata Stadium in Argentina on Monday (Sept. 9). South Korea will be looking to make their second consecutive appearance in the finals, following their triumph in Poland four years ago.
Fans gather passion for the ‘Little Taeguk Warriors’ The Korea Football Association announced on Aug. 8 that a street rally for the national team will be held at Gwanghwamun Square from 5 a.m. on Sept. 9. Jongno-gu Office held a deliberation committee and gave the final approval to hold the street cheer. According to the KFA, the street cheer will be supported by the Korea Federation of Businessmen and Entrepreneurs, the Seoul Metropolitan Government, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. It will be the first time in about seven months that a street cheer has been held in Gwanghwamun Square since the round of 16 match against Brazil at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar last December.
Japanese media outlet Nikkan Sports reported, “Korea rallies again. Cheer in front of the big screen in Gwanghwamun Square in the center of Seoul. It was a familiar scene from the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. With the cooperation of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the streets of Seoul will be painted red.
Previously, large-scale group cheers were held at the U-20 World Cup. Fans took to the streets to cheer on their national teams during the group stage match against Brazil at the 2005 World Youth Football Championship in the Netherlands (now the U-20 World Cup), the 2017 tournament in South Korea, where ‘soccer genius’ Park Joo-young (Ulsan) played, the round of 16 match against Portugal, and the final match against Ukraine in Poland in 2019.
Meanwhile, Kim Eun-joong and her children are writing a “miracle” in Argentina. It’s a reversal of fortune for the so-called “valley generation”. South Korea reported a thrilling 2-1 win over France in their first group game. They finished second in the group with draws against Honduras (2-2) and Gambia (0-0). This is the first time Korea has reached the round of 16 undefeated at the U-20 World Cup. They defeated Ecuador 3-2 in the Round of 16 and then beat Nigeria 1-0 in the quarterfinals on a stoppage-time winner by Choi Seok-hyun. South Korea became the first Asian nation to reach the semifinals of two consecutive tournaments.
South Korea will challenge the myth once again. 메이저놀이터 They are looking to become the first Asian nation to reach back-to-back finals. Only four other nations – the former Soviet Union, Brazil, Portugal, and Argentina – have done so.
Their opponent is Italy. The Italians finished second in a deadly Group D that included Brazil, Nigeria, and the Dominican Republic. In the round of 16, they met England, the team they defeated in the quarterfinals of last year’s European Championships, in a 2-1 victory. In the quarterfinals, they defeated South American powerhouse Colombia 3-1 to reach the last four. ‘Ace’ Cesare Cassaday is the leading scorer with six goals in the tournament.