As we reported earlier, South Korea defeated France at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, and it was an impressive performance by goalkeeper Kim Jun-hong, who made a number of impressive saves despite some questionable calls and a nagging injury.
The son of professional soccer Incheon goalkeeping coach Kim Yi-seop, Kim Jun-hong has goalkeeping DNA in his blood.
He reliably stopped more than 20 shots, most notably in the fifth minute of the second half when he pounced on a teammate’s header that could have been an own goal.
In the 21st minute of the second half, I had a close call.
While trying to block a cross, he collided with an opposing striker who took a hard hit, and without even looking at the video review, the referee pulled out a yellow card, saying it was Kim Jun-hong’s foul, and even awarded a penalty kick.
[Jang Ji-hyun/SBS commentator: ‘(The goalkeeper) didn’t make contact with the ball, but rather interfered with it’ The referee saw it like this, but I think it’s a bit different to give a PK (penalty kick)]
Despite the dubious call, and the aftermath of the collision on his neck and shoulder, Kim made a gutsy save to preserve the one-goal lead and lay on the ground after giving it everything he had.
It was such a dazzling performance that even the opposing goalkeeper gave him a thumbs up.
[Kim Eun-joong/U-20 National Team Coach: I’m grateful that our defense stayed focused until the end and didn’t concede a goal, even though France attacked hard].
Lee Seung-won, the team’s captain and midfield commander, not only assisted on the first goal, but was all over the field in the offense, while Lee Young-joon, an active duty soldier in the Merchant Marine, performed a stunning colossus salute to the world after scoring the winning goal.
[Lee Young-joon/U-20 National Football Team striker: I will definitely return to Korea with a good result, thank you].메이저사이트
Off to a strong start, the Taeguk Warriors look to repeat their seniors’ runner-up finish four years ago.