Soccer is a drama without a script.
South Korea’s women’s U-20 national team won 1-0 thanks to Park Soo-jung (Ulsan University of Science)’s winning goal in the third Group D match of the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup against Germany at Estadio Metropolitano de Techo in Bogota, Colombia on the 7th (local time).
Park Yoon-ho, who secured three points, achieved the feat of advancing to the round of 16 for the first time in 10 years since the 2014 tournament. 안전놀이터
Korea needed a miracle to advance to the tournament. Korea, which faced Nigeria and Venezuela in turn, had 0-1 loss and 0-0 draw, respectively, which was highly likely to result in elimination. Germany, which faced each other in the final match, was considered one of the strong contenders. As the system was changed to participate in 24 countries starting from this year’s event, the third-ranked team in the group had a chance to advance to the round of 16, but considering the performance of other countries, there was no answer unless it was a victory.
However, the Korean team has strong mentality and strong concentration, and successfully secured the finishing goal that it scored in the 22nd minute of the first half. Jeon Yoo-kyung (Wideok University) skillfully passed goal by goalkeeper Woo Seo-bin (Wideok University), and the ball went to Park Soo-jung, who penetrated the back space of defense. Afterwards, Park did not miss a one-on-one chance with the opponent team’s goalkeeper, and cut the net.
Germany did not stay put. Germany unleashed a barrage of attacks through detailed offensive work based on its physical superiority. Korea has demonstrated its desperation to block the opponent team’s chances. The referee whistle blew up the match, and Korea ended up in the last leg of the round of 16 teams as the third-ranked team in the group. The opponent team in the round of 16 teams is Colombia (ranked first in Group A) or Brazil (ranked first in Group B).
In an interview with the Korea Football Association (KFA), national team coach Park Yoon-jung said, “I would have expected that it would be difficult to advance to the round of 16. I emphasized to the players that they have to beat Germany unconditionally to advance to the round of 16. I am glad that the players brought good results on their own.”
“Thanks to the wild card rules, I made it to the round of 16. I hope that this achievement will serve as an opportunity to continue development, not just a one-off event,” he said.