The France U-20 team received an unexpected report card. The team was considered a favorite to win the tournament, but two counter-attacks by South Korea saw them fall short.스포츠토토

France U-20 midfielder Florent Da Silva told local media outlet RMC on March 23 (KST), “I’m disappointed (with the result against South Korea). We had a bad overall performance. We were ineffective in attack and defense and conceded goals. We need to recover quickly.”

France faced South Korea in the first match of Group F of the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023 at the Mendoza Stadium in Argentina. Despite being expected to have the objective advantage, they failed to secure a point in a 1-2 loss.

South Korea deployed Lee Young-joon up front, with Kim Yong-hak and Kang Sung-jin providing firepower on the left and right. Lee Seung-won, Kang Sang-yoon, and Lee Chan-wook coordinated the attack and defense from the back, followed by Bae Seo-joon, Kim Ji-soo, Choi Seok-hyun, and Park Chang-woo. Kim Jun-hong wore the goalkeeping gloves.

Both teams’ concepts were clear. France, the ‘favorites’ with the objective power advantage, had possession of the ball, and Korea was looking for a counter-attack. France utilized flanking attacks to rattle Korea and dig in.

The French dominated possession, but Korea rattled the net in a back-and-forth battle. South Korea struck back in the 22nd minute after a French corner kick was cleared. The combination play of Kim Yong-hak and Lee Seung-won stood out. Lee Seung-won received a pass from Kim Yong-hak and calmly finished.

It was Korea who scored in the second half. France increased their attacking tempo and focused on finding a goal, but they struggled against Korea’s physical defense. In the 19th minute of the second half, Lee Young-joon sensibly cut down a free kick from Lee Seung-won and rattled the net. It was a moment that threw cold water on France’s hopes of equalizing.

France pulled a goal back midway through the second half on a penalty kick. Virginius converted, sparking a comeback. However, no more goals were scored and Korea lost their first game of the group stage.

Coach Kim Eun-joong had nothing but praise for his players. “The players responded well,” he said after the game. The French attacked hard at the end, but our defense was good. We will prepare thoroughly for the games against Honduras and Zambia and try to win.”

“Korea was very organized, we are frustrated, but we hope to play better in the future,” said the French coach.