The South Korean team, with a goal from central Choi Seokhyun in the first part of extra time, beat Nigeria 1-0 this Sunday to face Italy for a place in the 2023 Under-20 World Cup final in Argentina.
Strategy once again saved the Asian team, who in the 95th minute only managed to break through the rock-solid Nigerian defense with a header from a corner by Choi Seokhyun after a lackluster and weak goalless draw in regulation time.
The defender unbalanced a game in which both teams’ defenses prevailed at the Único Madre de Ciudades stadium in Santiago del Estero.
Italy awaits Korea in the semifinals on Thursday, which defeated Colombia in the quarterfinals and England, the current European champion, in the eighth finals.
The Super Eagles leave with their heads held high after knocking out Argentina at home.
The first surprise of the afternoon came from the Korean side. Kim Eunjung left the best of her footballers, Bae Junho, on the bench.
Nigeria’s eleven also included a new variation compared to the round of 16 and featured the entry of the most promising gem, AC Milan midfielder Victor Eletu.
In a duel between two teams that give up the initiative, Korea and Nigeria decided to throw away the first 45 minutes.
It was hard not to yawn. The goalkeepers were seen just enough.
Nigeria, accustomed to running with space, swung the ball from side to side like a pendulum, without doing any damage, looking for a gap through the wingers, who were troubled by the Koreans’ double-marking.
Kim Eunjung’s, also fans of the counterattack, were more erratic than usual in the transitions.
The only clear danger was executed by Eletu with a good individual play that ended in a dry shot on the post that Kim Joonhong cleared. It was the 30th minute of the game.
Korea, between shy and overwhelmed by the opponent’s imposing physique, only seemed to cheer up in the closing moments of the first half with the addition of Bae Seojoon from the left lane.
The question that remained was, would they reserve for the second half? In the case of Korea, yes, because Bae Junho, the brains of the team, came onto the field during the break.
The entry of the 10th allowed them to cast loose and approach Aniagboso’s domain with a little more ease.
Nigeria also wanted to respond by exchanging two of the men above. It was the turn of Ibrahim Kehinde and Emmanuel Umeh.
Kehinde was most active in the last part. In Korea, Bae Junho responded, although the tie ended in extra time.
And again the board of the selector Kim Eunjung appeared.
Corner taken by captain Lee Seungwon and header at the near post by Choi Seokhyun, who has already scored twice this World Cup. He then managed to equalize Umeh on two separate occasions, but missed.
The dream of rehabilitating the Poland 2019 final is still alive for Korea.
Source: El heraldo
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
