Kim Eun-joong’s South Korea U20 team kicked off the 2023 FIFA U20 World Cup on a high note, knocking out “powerhouse” France.

While Lee Seung-won (Gangwon) and Lee Young-joon (Gimcheon), who scored one goal and one assist, have been in the spotlight, the credit must go to goalkeeper Kim Jun-hong (Gimcheon), who has inherited his father’s ‘goalkeeper DNA’ and made one save after another.

Goals from Lee Seung-won and Lee Young-joon gave South Korea a 2-1 victory over France in their U20 World Cup Group F opener at the Mendoza Stadium in Mendoza, Argentina, on Sept. 23 (KST).

South Korea focused on defense against France, one of the strongest teams in Group F, and used counterattacks to earn the win.토토사이트

Kim Eun-joong-ho’s steadfast defense prevented France from developing their desired attack. Even when they did manage to break through the tough Korean defense, they were unable to make a single field goal, as the last man standing was Kim Jun-hong.

Kim Jun-hong is a highly touted goalkeeper in Korean soccer who has worked his way up through the age-group national teams. He grew up in Jeonbuk’s youth team, Youngsanggo, and made his K League debut as a semi-professional two years ago.

Kim Jun-hong is also known for being a second-generation soccer player who inherited the ‘gatekeeper DNA’. His father is Incheon goalkeeping coach Kim Yi-seop, who played for the Pohang Steelers, Jeonbuk Hyundai, and Incheon United in the K League.

Kim was chosen as the starting goalkeeper for the tournament, and he has certainly repaid the trust that Kim has placed in him.

He made quick decisions to calculate the angles of his opponents’ shots and saved several French shots. In the early stages of the second half, he made an incredible quick reaction to clear a Park Hyun-bin header that could have gone into the goal.

Not to be outdone, Kim Jun-hong had a goal disallowed due to a questionable call. The referee decided that Kim had committed a foul when he collided with an opposing attacker during a contest for an aerial ball in front of the Korean goal and awarded France a penalty kick. Even Kim Jun-hong, who saved both field goals, couldn’t save the penalty.

A goal is a goal, but what happened afterward was even worse. Kim collided with an opposing attacker and took a hard hit to the neck and shoulder area, leaving him on the ground for a while. Luckily, Kim was able to get back to his feet after receiving medical attention and played the remaining 20 minutes in goal.

With a one-goal lead, Kim showed great concentration. Even though he was shaken by the questionable call and was in physical pain, he played calmly and secured the victory without conceding any more goals.

Four years ago, South Korea had a reliable goalkeeper in Lee Kwang-yeon (Gangwon) when they finished runners-up at the U20 World Cup in Poland. This time, with the presence of Kim Jun-hong in goal, South Korea can expect to exceed expectations.