U-19 team suffer first loss to China in 20 years on eve of senior clash

Yusufu Amuti of China, center, controls the ball during a friendly between the U-19 teams of China and Korea in Weinan, China on June 10. [XINHUA/YONHAP]

Korea suffered its first U-19 football defeat to China in 20 years on Monday, losing 2-0 in Weinan, China on the eve of a clash between the two senior squads in Seoul.

Korea gave up two late goals in the U-19 friendly, initially conceding in the 78th minute and then allowing a security goal to seal the win.

Monday’s loss marks the first time in 20 years that Korea has lost to China at the U-19 level, since a 3-1 defeat in the Stars Cup in Hubei, China on Feb. 23, 2004.

Since then, Korea has won eight games and drawn one with their young Chinese counterparts.

Korea leave Weinan, where they have been playing in the friendly Weinan International Tournament, with one win, one draw and one loss, beating Vietnam 1-0 on June 8 after drawing with Uzbekistan in the opener on June 4.

The U-19 friendly came just a day before the Korean senior squad was set to face China in a World Cup qualifier at Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul on Tuesday. That game was due to kick off at 8 p.m. as of press time.

The senior team enter Tuesday’s friendly after beating Singapore 7-0 last Thursday, securing their progression to the third round of World Cup qualifiers and leaving only bragging rights on the line for Korea on Tuesday — although if China do not draw they could lose their spot in the next round to Thailand.

"There's no such thing as an easy match," senior captain Son Heung-min said on Monday. "For those of us in Europe, this is the last match of the season. So we want to have a good finish. Plus, our fans will expect nothing less than quality football from the team. No matter what, we absolutely have to win tomorrow's match."

Over in the U-19 squad, the young Taeguk Warriors have an important year ahead of them with the 2025 AFC U-20 Asian Cup in China next February and the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile later in the year.

Qualifiers for the U-20 Asian Cup begin in September with the draw to be held next week. The results of the Asian Cup will determine who books a ticket to the U-20 World Cup.

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