The South Korean Under-18 National Team played out a disappointing draw against African powerhouse Morocco.
South Korea, coached by Lee Chang-hyun, took the lead through a late goal from Baek Min-kyu (Pyeongtaek Jinwi FC U18), but conceded a late goal in stoppage time to draw 1-1 in the second match of the 2023 Seoul EOU Cup U-18 International Youth Championship (EOU Cup) at Mokdong Sports Complex in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul on Wednesday.
On the first day of the tournament, South Korea earned its first win with a 4-2 victory over Ukraine. Morocco also earned a point with a 5-0 win over Vietnam. In the game that preceded the Korea-Morocco match on Wednesday, Ukraine defeated Vietnam 3-2.
With the matchup between South Korea and Morocco, which was billed as the de facto final, ending in a draw, the winner will be determined in the third game on Friday. South Korea and Morocco are tied on four points (one win, one draw). Morocco has a goal differential of +5, ahead of South Korea (+2). Ukraine has 3 points (1 win, 1 loss) and Vietnam has 0 points (2 losses). South Korea will have to watch the Morocco-Ukraine match first on Nov. 15 and then try to score as many goals as possible against Vietnam.
After a hard-fought 0-0 first half, South Korea’s first goal came in the 29th minute. A ball from the right flank was collected by Baek Min-gyu, who was positioned in front of the danger zone, before turning and finishing with a spectacular left-footed half-volley.
What looked like a win for South Korea turned into a draw thanks to a theatrical goal from Morocco just before the end of the second half. A cross from South Korea’s right flank was met by Reda Lallawi, who rose to head home. The defense’s lapse in concentration in the final minutes was disappointing.
Baek Min-kyu plays for an academy team (Pyeongtaek Jinwi FC U-18), not a K League club. Unlike other age groups, which are dominated by youth teams affiliated with K-League clubs, the Korean U-18 team at this tournament is characterized by a high percentage of players from academies. Ten of the 22 players on the roster, including Baek Min-kyu, are from academies.
“The U-18 national team is categorized as the so-called ‘valley generation’ without distinguishing between domestic and foreign players,” said an official from the Korea Football Association, explaining, “In the process of discovering and intensively developing promising players in each age group to strengthen the player base, players from academies stood out.”
After the game, coach Lee Chang-hyun said, “Players in this age group need to gain experience by playing against strong teams,” and emphasized that “as an age group that is about to challenge the pros, they need to make efforts to improve their physical strength and power to the professional level.” “The players we selected have a certain level of technical ability, but more importantly, they have shown their desire and passion for the national team.” “We will continue to give opportunities to those who are ready,” he added.
The EOU Cup was created to promote global peace and environmental awareness. The participating nations are from countries that have experienced war or division in the past (South Korea, Vietnam, Morocco) or are currently at war (Ukraine). Ukraine, in particular, will use the tournament as a springboard to prepare for next month’s U-19 Euro 2024 qualifiers.메이저사이트
A commitment to environmental conservation. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is a partner in the tournament. It will encourage spectators to use public transportation and Tumblr during the tournament, as well as run an environmental donation campaign. The competition is sponsored by the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Shinhan Bank.
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