'Choi Seokhyeon Header Winning Goal' Korea Advances to U-20 World Cup Semifinals for 2nd Consecutive Time

Nigeria Defeated 1-0 After Extended Battle
Semifinal Clash Against Italy at 6 AM on the 9th

The South Korea U-20 men's soccer team achieved the remarkable feat of reaching the semifinals for the second consecutive time at the FIFA U-20 World Cup, currently being held in Argentina.

Led by coach Kim Eun-jung, the U-20 team won 1-0 after extra time against Nigeria in the quarterfinals of the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup at the Santiago del Estero Stadium in Argentina on the 5th (Korean time). The match was scoreless during regular time, but at the 5th minute of the first half of extra time, Choi Seok-hyun (Dankook University) scored the winning goal with a header.

Once again, the team conceded possession to the opponent but showcased a solid defense to secure a practical victory. Although they launched several sharp attacks, they did not create many shooting opportunities overall. There were only three shots during the 90 minutes of regular time, none of which were on target. The only shot on target?and the only shot during extra time?resulted in the winning goal.

Choi Seok-hyun of the Under-20 (U-20) men's soccer team is celebrating after scoring the winning header goal in the first half of extra time during the quarterfinal match against Nigeria at the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup held at Santiago del Estero Stadium in Argentina on the morning of the 5th (Korean time).
[Photo by Yonhap News]

As indicated by the possession stats of 32% to 46%, Nigeria generally controlled the ball and created many attacking chances but failed to capitalize on decisive opportunities. They recorded 22 shots, but only three were on target.

After a goalless draw in regular time, South Korea scored the winning goal at the 5th minute of the first half of extra time. The combination of Lee Seung-won (Gangwon) and Choi Seok-hyun, who scored the third goal in the round of 16 match against Ecuador, shone once again. Lee delivered a corner kick, which Choi redirected into the right side of the opponent’s goal.

Lee Seung-won, captain of Kim Eun-jung’s team, recorded his fourth assist of the tournament. He currently has 1 goal and 4 assists in this competition.

With this, South Korea advanced to the semifinals for the second consecutive time following their runner-up finish at the 2019 Poland tournament. South Korean men's soccer has reached the semifinals in FIFA-organized tournaments five times: in this tournament in 1983 and 2019, the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, the 2012 London Olympics, and now this event. Their best result was the runner-up finish at the 2019 U-20 World Cup.

The team aims to reach the final for the second consecutive time against Italy. The semifinal match against Argentina will begin at 6 a.m. on the 9th at the La Plata Stadium. Italy advanced to the semifinals by defeating Colombia 3-1 in the quarterfinals held the previous day.