Moon Hyun-ho’s super save saved South Korea.

The South Korea U-20 football team drew 0-0 with the Gambia in their final Group F match at the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023 at the Estadio Malvinas Argentinas in Mendoza, Argentina, on Monday (June 29). The result secured a point and a second-place finish in the group.

The Koreans were able to keep the game scoreless thanks to a series of super saves from Moon Hyun-ho in the face of Gambian attacks. Kang Sung-jin’s sharp shooting baptism also shone.

With the second-place finish, South Korea will face Ecuador, the runner-up in Group B, in the Round of 16. The teams met four years ago in the quarterfinals of the tournament, with Choi Joon scoring the winning goal to secure a 1-0 victory and the first men’s final appearance in the history of the FIFA-organized tournament.
South Korea started with Moon Hyun-ho in goal, followed by Kim Ji-soo, Hwang In-taek, Cho Young-kwang, Choi Ye-hoon, Lee Chan-wook, Lee Seung-won, Park Hyun-bin, Kang Sung-jin, Lee Young-joon, and Lee Ji-han.

With the partial rotation, South Korea looked as prepared as possible for the round of 16. Compared to the last match against Honduras, seven players changed. It didn’t quite work out. In the first half, the team was shaken by the Gambia’s left and right flanks and was in danger of conceding a goal.

In the 11th minute, after receiving a corner kick from Lee Seung-won, Kang Sung-jin struck a left-footed shot. However, it hit a defender and deflected, earning another corner kick.

From then on, the Gambia dominated the game, using their height and strength to threaten near the Korean penalty box. While this did not lead to a goal scoring crisis, the number of shots on goal increased as time went on. Korea went into the half with a scoreless tie at 0-0.

South Korea brought on Kang Sang-yoon for Lee Seung-won at the start of the second half, and the pace of the game changed in the second half. Both South Korea and The Gambia went in search of a goal after the initial exploratory period. 스포츠토토 It was The Gambia who took the lead in this contest. Bojang’s header in the second minute and Mbier’s shot in the fifth minute were both saved by Moon Hyun-ho. In the 11th minute of the second half, Kang Sung-jin’s left-footed shot was saved by goalkeeper Dampa.

Korea brought on Bae Joon-ho and Kim Yong-hak to add strength to the offense. Kim Ji-soo blocked the Gambia’s next counterattack opportunity to keep the score at 0-0. In the 22nd minute of the second half, Moon Hyun-ho made another super save. He caught Kohli’s shot from the edge of the box in a dynamic situation. In the 25th minute, Bo-Jang looked to have scored, but it was ruled offside and South Korea did not concede.

South Korea also had a chance. In the 26th minute, Lee Seung-jun received a pass from Kim Yong-hak, but his shot was headed straight at Dampa. In the 37th minute, Bo-Jang’s sharp left-footed shot went into the side netting. In the 39th minute, Lee Seung-jun had another chance, but his shot was saved by Dampa.

Seven minutes of stoppage time followed, but South Korea and the Gambia were unable to find the back of the net in the remaining time. Nevertheless, the two teams shared first and second place in the group and advanced to the round of 16.