“I’m going to be confident but not cocky. I’ll do my best to keep going to the quarterfinals and semifinals.”
Hwang In-taek (20, Seoul Eland) is determined to help Korea advance to the round of 16.
Kim Eun-joong’s South Korea U-20 team drew 0-0 with the Gambia in their third match of Group F at the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023 at Estadio Malvinas Argentinas in Mendoza, Argentina on Monday (June 29).
With the result, South Korea remains in second place in the group with one win and two draws (5 points) and advances to the Round of 16. They will now face Group B runner-up Ecuador on March 2 for a spot in the quarterfinals. South Korea previously beat Ecuador 1-0 in the quarterfinals of the 2019 tournament, where they finished as runners-up.
South Korea started with a 4-1-2-3 formation. Lee Ji-han, Lee Young-joon, Kang Sung-jin, Park Hyun-bin, Lee Seung-won, Lee Chan-wook, Choi Ye-hoon, Kim Ji-su, Hwang In-taek, Cho Young-kwang, and Moon Hyun-ho took the field first. There were seven changes from the last match against Honduras. Kim Jun-hong and Choi Seok-hyun were unavailable due to accumulating cautions and sending offs, respectively. 메이저사이트
Hwang In-Taek also made his first start in the tournament and performed well, as he and Kim Ji-Soo played a solid defense in the center of the defense. He showed great concentration in the 41st minute to tackle away a sharp cross from the opponent. South Korea finished the match with a clean sheet, which was a good result for the team as it avoided Brazil and conserved its stamina.
After the game, Hwang In-taek told the broadcaster, “We prepared for the Gambia game after the Honduras game. I knew they were a good team, and I analyzed a lot of videos. I prepared without letting my guard down. We practiced our defense well, so I think we were well prepared.”
When asked if he was satisfied with his performance, he replied, “I’m not satisfied, but I focused on stopping the Gambia’s fast players and immersed myself in the game. I think that’s why we were able to keep a clean sheet.”
Finally, Hwang In-taek talked about his team’s Round of 16 match against Ecuador, saying, “We need to recover quickly. I’ll be confident but not cocky and prepare well. I will try my best to continue to advance to the quarterfinals and semifinals.”