Korea Advances to Semifinals in 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup with Dramatic Victory over Nigeria

The Korean national football team achieved the feat of advancing to the semifinals of the FIFA U-20 World Cup quarterfinals by beating Nigeria after a close match that went into overtime.

On the 5th (Korean time) in the quarterfinals of the tournament held at the Santiago del Estero Stadium in Argentina, Korea, led by coach Kim Eun-joong, defeated Nigeria 1-0.

In the first half, Nigeria led the game with a lead over Korea in possession of the ball.

In the 29th minute of the first half, Eletu’s mid-range shot from near the box was blocked by South Korean goalkeeper Kim Joon-Hong.

South Korea’s Bae Seo-joon shot inside the box in the extra time of the first half, but was blocked by Nigeria’s defense and swallowed regret.

The first half ended 0-0.

Starting the second half, Korea tried to change things by excluding Kang Seong-jin and putting in Bae Jun-ho.

In the 5th minute of the second half, Nigerian Bamey’s powerful mid-range shot was blocked by goalkeeper Kim Joon-Hong.

In the 16th minute of the second half, Lee Chan-wook was replaced by Park Hyun-bin, and in the 22nd minute, Kim Yong-hak was brought in and Lee Ji-han was added to score.

The replacement of Korea continued. In the 28th minute of the second half, Kim Ji-soo and Bae Seo-joon were removed and Hwang In-taek and Choi Ye-hoon were put in.

However, no goals were scored in the second half, and regular time ended with both teams 0-0.

The match went into overtime. The long-awaited goal finally came in the 5th minute of extra time. Lee Seung-Won’s corner kick from the left was followed by Choi Seok-Hyun’s header, which split the net. The first half of 15 minutes of extra time ended with South Korea leading 1-0.

Now, the remaining time is 15 minutes in the second half of overtime. In the 4th minute of the second half of extra time, Nigerian Emmanuel’s shot from inside the box went off the goalpost and made Korea’s heart flutter. Nigeria struggled to equalize, but could not break through South Korea’s defense. In the end, the bloody battle of 120 minutes ended with the victory of the Republic of Korea.

/ Reporter Kim Hyung-wook [email protected]