Korea's U-20 World Cup dreams end with 2-1 semifinal loss to Italy

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Korea's U-20 World Cup dreams end with 2-1 semifinal loss to Italy

Korea's Lee Young-jun reacts after missing a chance to score against Italy during a FIFA U-20 World Cup semifinal match in La Plata, Argentina on Thursday.  [AP/YONHAP]

Korea's Lee Young-jun reacts after missing a chance to score against Italy during a FIFA U-20 World Cup semifinal match in La Plata, Argentina on Thursday. [AP/YONHAP]

 
Korea’s U-20 World Cup dreams came crashing down with just minutes left on the clock on Thursday, losing 2-1 to Italy in a hard-fought semifinal at Estadio Ciudad de La Plata in La Plata, Argentina.
 
Most of the action came early in the game, with Italy’s Cesare Casadei taking the first goal in the 14th minute. The young Taeguk Warriors tied things up with a penalty in the 23rd minute, only to fall foul of a direct free kick in the 86th.
 
As in their previous games, Korea allowed Italy to control the vast majority of the possession and create far more chances, relying on solid defending and opportunistic attacking to hold off the onslaught and create enough opportunities of their own.
 
That tactic has seen mixed results throughout the tournament, with Korea generally winning, but not without a few scares along the way.
 
The same was true in the semifinal. After the 14th-minute goal, Korea proved effective at shutting down the Italian attack, even if they constantly allowed the European side to regain possession.
 
The bigger issue was at the other end of the field. Despite creating a number of opportunities in the second half, Korea consistently sent the ball high over the crossbar or far wide of the goalposts, creating little real work for Italian goalkeeper Sebastiano Desplanches.
 
At the other end of the pitch, Kim Joon-hong was kept very busy fending off the Italian attacks. The young goalkeeper made some key saves throughout the half, before being caught flat-footed by Simone Pafundi’s late free kick.
 
Korean players watch Italy's Simone Pafundi score the winning goal during a FIFA U-20 World Cup semifinal match in La Plata, Argentina on Thursday.  [AP/YONHAP]

Korean players watch Italy's Simone Pafundi score the winning goal during a FIFA U-20 World Cup semifinal match in La Plata, Argentina on Thursday. [AP/YONHAP]

 
What followed was a spectacular exercise in time-wasting by the Italians as an increasingly frustrated Korea wasted their last few chances on goal.
 
With the win, Italy advance to face Uruguay in the World Cup final while Korea will take on Israel in the third-place playoff. Both games will be played on Sunday.
 
While Korea miss out on their second consecutive U-20 World Cup final, the young squad still get to return home as the only Korean squad at any level ever to reach back-to-back semifinals at a FIFA tournament.
 
The KFA can also take this year’s result as a badge of honor. Korea has clearly staked out its position at this level of international football, reaching the final four for the second tournament in a row and the knockout stage in five of the last six tournaments.
 
Korea’s success in U-20 football and in particular at the World Cup is no longer an upset story. It should no longer be a surprise or a story that Korea are consistently competing at the top level of the U-20 game, and that clearly indicates the success of the training, management and the K League in general.
 
The challenge for the KFA now is to transfer that success to the senior squad.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]
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