Men’s U-20 national team got off to a perfect start by defeating favourites France in their opening match of the FIFA U-20 World Cup Argentina 2023. 
 

Lee Seungwon and Lee Youngjun struck in each half as Kim Eunjung’s side beat France 2-1 in their Group F opener at Estadio Malvinas Argentinas in Mendoza.
 

24 participating teams in the U-20 World Cup are divided into six groups of four teams, with the winners and the runners-up from each group advancing to the round of 16 along with four third-placed teams with best results. Indonesia had originally won the rights to host these finals before FIFA awarded the tournament to Argentina.
 

The victory came as a sweet surprise considering all the hardships they had overcome in the buildup to the finals: coach Kim could not call up Lee Hyeonju from Bayern Munchen, as well as Sung Jinyoung, who had featured prominently at the AFC U-20 Asian Cup earlier this year before missing out on the finals due to injury. The last-minute change of host nation did not help, either, whilst most of the key players who ply their trade in the domestic K League struggled to rediscover their form. Nevertheless, the Taegeuk Warriors have come a step closer to reaching the round of 16 by defeating the tournament favourites in the opening game.
 

Kim opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation: Lee Youngjun started up front as a lone striker, flanked by Kang Seongjin, Kang Sangyoon and Kim Yonghak; Lee Seungwon and Lee Chanouk in defensive midfield; Bae Seojoon, Kim Jisoo, Choi Seokhyun and Park Changwoo at the back; with Kim Joonhong between the sticks.

France seized complete control from the outset, occupying as much as 75 per cent of ball possession midway through the first half. But Korea Republic sat back and waited for their chances to come. Centre-back duo Kim Jisoo and Choi Seokhyun outstood in the solid rearguard, patiently looking to intercept the ball and launch quick counters.
 

And it was the men in red that drew first blood against the run of play after 22 minutes. A France corner was cleared into the path of Kang Seongjin, who found Kim Yonghak lurking into the centre of the park. Kim dribbled past a defender before laying a perfectly weighed pass for Lee Seungwon, who calmly collected the ball to fire an unstoppable effort to complete a textbook counterattack that took no more than ten seconds.
 

France fought back after the unexpected blow, with livewire forward Antoine Joujou marauding on the left flank to cause all sorts of problems for Korean defence. However, Korea Republic survived the waves of attack to finish the first half with a 1-0 lead. 

Les Bleus picked up where they had left off as the second half got underway, although the Taegeuk Warriors held on thanks to their solid defending and a series of fine saves by Kim Joonhong. Hwang Intaek and Lee Jihan came off the bench to replace Bae Seojoon and Kim Yonghak respectively, as the Koreans sought to turn the tide midway through the second half. And they went further ahead through a set-piece on 64 minutes, when Lee Youngjun doubled their advantage with a clinical header off a Lee Seungwon free-kick.
 

France then managed to halve the two-goal deficit with a spot-kick from Alan Virginius six minutes later. It was fair to say that the penalty was controversial, however, as Kim Joonhong was only trying to parry the ball away before Malamine Efekele dived into the goalmouth to connect with a header.

Korea Republic held firm to maintain their lead with ten minutes remaining in the second half, as defender Choi Yehoon replaced forward Kang Seongjin. The French were desperate to equalise in the closing minutes but they could not just find a breakthrough against the stubborn rearguard.

2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup 
Group F

Korea Republic 2-1 France

Scorers: Lee Seungwon 22’, Lee Youngjun 64’; Alan Virginius 70’ (pen)

KOR: Kim Joonhong, Bae Seojoon (Hwang Intaek 59’), Kim Jisoo, Choi Seokhyun, Park Changwoo, Lee Seungwon, Lee Chanouk (Park Hyeonbin 46’), Kang Seongjin (Choi Yehoon 74’), Kang Sangyoon, Kim Yonghak (Lee Jihan 59’), Lee Youngjun (Park Seungho 90’+7)