At the FIFA U20 World Cup, Korea finished in fourth place after losing to Israel. Despite missing out on a medal, Korea’s players made a strong showing on the world stage, with captain Lee Seung-won receiving the Bronze Ball for third best player.

Ha Sung-ryong is a reporter.

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Facing Israel, another surprise team that made it to the top four in its first appearance, the team conceded a goal in the 19th minute of the first half, but equalized within five minutes.토토사이트

Bae Joon-ho took a penalty kick and captain Lee Seung-won boldly slotted it into the center of the goal.

With three goals and four assists, Lee became the most prolific South Korean male player in a FIFA-organized tournament, surpassing Lee Kang-in four years earlier.

However, with the players’ stamina plummeting in the second half after playing seven games in three weeks, our team conceded goals in the 31st and 40th minutes of the second half and lost 3-1.

The players shook their heads in frustration,

[It’s okay! It’s okay!]

We finished our final journey by thanking the local people and fans for their support and encouragement.

[Lee Seung-won/U-20 World Cup captain: We’ve been preparing for a year and a half, and I didn’t think the players would do so well, but I want to say that the players who couldn’t come here, including me, all the coaching staff and players who played under the taegeuk mark, worked hard, and I’m so grateful to the fans who supported us].

For leading the team to the quarterfinals with the most goals and most offensive points, Lee was awarded the ‘Bronze Ball’, the equivalent of third place MVP.

Before the tournament, our players, who were called the “valley generation” and had not received much attention and expectations, turned indifference into cheers as they stood tall against the world’s strongest teams.

They added to the excitement by picking up the jerseys of their teammates who dropped out due to injury and playing together as a “one-man team.

[Kim Eun-joong/U-20 World Cup coach: I think the preparation was worth it, and it was a tournament where our players could prove (their skills), so I’m very grateful as a coach, and I hope our players will play a big role in the future of Korean football].

After making South Korea happy, the Taeguk Warriors will return home the day after tomorrow (Thursday).

In the final of the tournament, Uruguay defeated Italy 1-0 to win their first title.