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| Kim Joon-hong, goalkeeper for the Korean men's under-20 national football team, poses for a photo during a training session at Club Deportivo Cruz Training Center in Mendoza, Argentina, in preparation for the FIFA U-20 World Cup, in this photo provided by the Korea Football Association, May 23. Yonhap |
Having just turned 16 in June of 2019, Korean goalkeeper Kim Joon-hong watched the men's under-20 national team closely as they marched into the final of the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland, with a particular focus on fellow goalkeeper Lee Gwang-yeon.
As Lee backstopped Korea to the runner-up finish behind Ukraine, the country's best performance at a male FIFA tournament, Kim decided he wanted to follow in Lee's footsteps in the U-20 competition.
And Kim, about a week from his 20th birthday, took a huge step toward that Monday in Argentina, where he helped Korea upset France 2-1 in their first Group F match of this year's U-20 World Cup. France had 24 shot attempts to Korea's nine, but Lee only gave up one goal, via penalty, in the surprise win.
"I knew back then players in my age group would have a chance to play at this tournament in a few years," Kim said in an interview clip shared by the Korea Football Association (KFA) on Wednesday. "After watching Lee Gwang-yeon play, I decided I wanted to compete at the U-20 World Cup and play well too."
The apple hasn't fallen too far from the tree in the Kim clan. Joon-hong's father is former goalkeeper Kim Lee-sub, who played for three K League clubs from 1997 to 2010. He is now the goalkeeper coach for Incheon United in the top-flight K League 1.
The junior Kim said his father hasn't given him any specific, technical advice.
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| Kim Ji-soo, center, defender for the Korean men's under-20 national football team, participates in a training session at Club Deportivo Cruz Training Center in Mendoza, Argentina, in preparation for the FIFA U-20 World Cup, in this photo provided by the Korea Football Association, May 18. Yonhap |
"He gave me some words of encouragement, like he always does for every match," the son said. "He told me this is just the beginning, and I have to continue to prepare hard for upcoming matches."
As for how Korea were able to shock France, favored to win Group F, Kim said it was all about execution.
"In training sessions, our defenders worked on cutting down the shooting angle to allow me to focus on smaller areas," Kim said. "It worked out really well during the match."
One of the starting defenders against France, Kim Ji-soo, said on-field communication was also important.
"I yelled at the guys a few times to stay focused. I mixed in some choice words too," Kim said. "We had to be fast moving up and down the field."
The opening victory put Korea in a great position to advance to the knockout stage, which is open to the top two teams from each of the six groups, plus the four best third-place teams. A win over Honduras in the next game, kicking off at 6 a.m. Friday (Seoul time), will push Korea even closer to the round of 16, a fact not lost on Kim Joon-hong.
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| Kim Ji-soo, center, defender for the Korean men's under-20 national football team, participates in a training session at Club Deportivo Cruz Training Center in Mendoza, Argentina, in preparation for the FIFA U-20 World Cup, in this photo provided by the Korea Football Association, May 21. Yonhap |
"I won't think of anything else beside that match," the goalkeeper said. "I will put everything into trying to win that game."
Kim Ji-soo said the team is done celebrating the opening win.
"We won't be carried away after just one match," he said. "We will try to stick to the same mindset as the beginning and try our best to win." (Yonhap)
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