Men’s U-20 national team beat Ecuador to reach the quarter-finals of the FIFA U-20 World Cup for the second time in succession.

Kim Eunjung’s charges defeated Ecuador 3-2 in the round of 16 match staged in Santiago del Estero on Thursday, with Lee Youngjun, Bae Junho and Choi Seokhyun on target, to set up a meeting with Nigeria in the last eight on Sunday.

Kim opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation once again: Kim Joonhong returned after serving a suspension to stand between the sticks; Choi Yehoon, Kim Jisoo, Choi Seokhyun and Park Changwoo at the back; Kang Sangyoon and Park Hyunbin in defensive midfield; Bae Junho, Lee Seungwon and Kim Yonghak in supporting roles behind lone striker Lee Youngjun.


   

After nervy exchanges, Korea Republic drew first blood with a neat pass followed by a fine move on 11 minutes. Park Hyunbin’s long ball was connected with Bae Junho, who curled the ball into the path of an onrushing Lee Youngjun. Lee controlled the ball with his chest before volleying home from the right side of the area to score his second goal of the tournament.

It took only seven minutes for Korea to double their advantage, with Bae collecting a long pass from Park Changwoo before turning around a defender to fire home past Gilmar Napa.

 

Korea kept up the pressure after grabbing a two-goal lead, launching a series of attack on both flanks. On 25 minutes, Kim Yonghak intercepted the ball on the right channel to break into the centre, but his audacious effort went just wide of the target.

However, the Ecuadorians fought back and reduced the deficit from the spot six minutes later. Kendry Paez was pulled down on the left side of the area by Park Changwoo, and after a lengthy VAR review, the referee’s initial decision stood. Justin Cuero converted the resulting penalty to pull one back for Ecuador.

Despite having only half of the ball possession compared to their opponents, Korea Republic’s practical approach paid dividends again three minutes into the second half. Lee Seungwon’s corner from the left was met with a glancing header by Choi Seokhyun, as the captain recorded his third assist of the tournament.

Ecuador coach Miguel Bravo responded by reinforcing his attack, with forward Christopher Zambrano coming off the bench to replace fullback Daniel de la Cruz. Conversely, the Taegeuk Warriors focused on defending as Hwang Intaek came on for Lee Seungwon with Kang Seongjin replacing Kim Yonghak on the left flank.

Ecuador kept knocking on Korea’s door and managed to break the deadlock on 84 minutes. A left corner by Paez was followed by a goalmouth scramble, before Sebastian Gonzalez latched on to a deflected pass from Christian Garcia to make it 3-2.

Korea Republic defended in numbers to absorb the waves of attack from Ecuador, whilst waiting for their chances to launch quick counters in the closing minutes. Against the run of play, Lee Youngjun almost scored his second of the evening with a glancing header that Napa managed to parry over the crossbar.

The score remained 3-2 deep into stoppage time, as the Poland 2019 runners-up marched into the quarter-finals yet again.

2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup Round of 16

Korea Republic 3-2 Ecuador

Goals: Lee Youngjun 11’, Bae Junho 19’, Choi Seokhyun 48’; Justin Cuero 36’ (pen), Sebastian Gonzalez 39’

KOR: Kim Joonhong, Choi Yehoon, Kim Jisoo, Choi Seokhyun, Park Changwoo, Kang Sangyoon, Park Hyunbin (Lee Chanouk 69’), Bae Junho (Cho Youngkwang 83’), Lee Seungwon (Hwang Intaek 61’), Kim Yonghak (Kang Seongjin 61’), Lee Youngjun