U20s draw with ‘underdogs’ Honduras in crucial game
South Korea’s Under-20 World Cup team played to a hard-fought draw against Latin American underdogs Honduras in their second group game of the tournament.
With the precious point, which they snatched from the jaws of defeat, the team is one step closer to qualifying for the round of 16.
Reporter Lee Jun-hee reports.안전놀이터
[Report]
Honduras, the Latin American double-header, proved tricky.
The team was in trouble less than 20 minutes into the first half when Honduras conceded a penalty kick.
A long pass that left space behind eventually led to a penalty, and Ochoa slotted home the opening goal.
Less than five minutes later, however, it looked like the opportunity would come back to haunt them when Ochoa, the man responsible for the opening goal, was sent off for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Regrouping, the team attempted to mount a second-half comeback against a ten-man Honduras, only to concede a late goal through Honduran Castillo six minutes into the second half.
With the deficit deepening, an equaliser came from the feet of ace Kim Yong-hak.
In the 13th minute of the second half, Kim Yong-hak rattled the Honduran net with a powerful left-footed shot to keep the fight alive.
With momentum in their favour, the Koreans equalised less than five minutes later.
A sharp corner kick from Lee Seung-won was met with a precise header by substitute Park Seung-ho to bring the game back to 1-1.
Down by two goals, the team pushed forward in search of an equaliser, but were denied by the opposition goalkeeper.
[Kim Yong-hak, U20 National Football Team: “I’m not satisfied with the draw, I think we had a lot of chances to score and we missed them, so I think it’s disappointing. We’ll try to win the last game so we can advance.”]
While still in with a chance of qualifying for the round of 16, the team will be under pressure after goalkeeper Kim Jun-hong and defender Choi Seok-hyun were ruled out of the third leg against Gambia due to accumulated cautions and sending-offs.