Aiming for the quarterfinals…Byeon Seong-hwan cheers for a ‘three-game sweep’…finishes in 20th place

South Korea’s U17 national team, led by Byun Sung-hwan, suffered an early exit from the FIFA U17 World Cup 2023 in Indonesia. They had hoped to improve on their best-ever quarterfinal finish to reach the top four, but failed to pick up a point and sank. The team accepted a 20th-place finish out of 24 nations.

South Korea was in Group E of the tournament. It was paired with the United States, France, and Burkina Faso. While France was the favorite to win the tournament, the United States and Burkina Faso were considered unbeatable. However, the plan went awry from the first game. They went 1-3 against the United States. They fought back with a fast, sharp attack but were unlucky to hit the post twice. In the second game against France, they conceded in the first two minutes. The team fought back, only to see another shot hit the post, leaving them 0-1 down and facing elimination.

Before the final match against Burkina Faso, it was decided that they would not advance to the round of 16. Their chances of earning a wild card, which is awarded to the first through fourth-place nations in the group of six, were gone. A win over Burkina Faso would have given them three points, but not enough to overtake Uzbekistan and Venezuela, who both had four points. They also lost the third game against Burkina Faso in a somewhat low-key affair, conceding an early goal again, then pulling a goal back to equalize, only to concede in the dying minutes of the game to lose 1-2. The team finished the tournament with a dismal record of three games, three losses, two goals, and six conceded.

Twenty-four countries participated in the tournament. The teams were divided into six groups of four. The first and second place teams in each group earned invitations to the round of 16. The four best-performing teams from the top six countries earned wildcard berths into the round of 16. Morocco and Ecuador (Group A); Spain, Mali, and Uzbekistan (Group B); England, Brazil, and Iran (Group C); Argentina, Senegal, and Japan (Group D); France and the United States (Group E); and Germany, Mexico, and Venezuela (Group F).

South Korea was among the five nations without a win. They were ranked 20th with a goal differential of -4, the highest among teams with three losses. Burkina Faso, which defeated Korea, was the lowest-ranked team to miss the round of 16 at 17th, while host Indonesia finished third in Group A with two points but fell short of earning a wild card. 무지개토토 주소

Meanwhile, the round of 16 will begin on Tuesday. Ecuador and Brazil will open the round of 16, while Spain and Japan will battle for a spot in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.