Japan’s ‘shock upset’ in extra time → 3rd place drop + elimination threat… Korea advances to the round of 16 for the ‘3rd time in a row’!
Japan couldn’t survive extra time and lost. The third-place finish puts Japan in danger of being knocked out of the group, which means South Korea will advance to the Round of 16 before the final match.
The schedule for Group C of the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023 has been finalized. Japan faced Israel and Colombia faced Senegal. Before the third match, Colombia was in first place with two wins and had already qualified for the round of 16.
In second place was Japan with one win and one loss, and Israel and Senegal were tied at 1-1. For Japan, a win over Israel would secure a spot in the round of 16, and a tie would still be a possibility. If Senegal beat Colombia and finished third, they could still advance depending on the results of the third-place teams in the other groups.
But things turned out differently than expected. Japan faced Israel in the third match of Group C at the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023 at the Estadio Malvinas Argentina in Mendoza, Argentina, at 6:00 a.m. on June 28.
Japan took the early lead. Samamoto rattled the net from a free kick in the second minute of first-half stoppage time. Then, in the 23rd minute of the second half, Israel’s Binyamin was sent off for accumulating cautions. With a 1-0 lead and a numerical advantage, Japan took it easy for the rest of the game.
But the Israelis were focused. In the 31st minute of the second half, Nabi’s goal tied the game with Japan. It wasn’t the end of the game. In the first minute of second-half stoppage time, Senior scored a dramatic winner. In the end, Israel pulled off a thrilling come-from-behind victory, finishing second in their group and advancing to the Round of 16.
Japan finished third with one win and two losses. It is now in their hands to advance to the round of 16. The U-20 World Cup is divided into six groups. The first and second-place teams in each group advance to the round of 16, and the four best third-place teams advance to the knockout stage.
Currently, four groups have completed their schedules, Groups A through D. Among the top three teams, Nigeria (6 points) and New Zealand (4 points) have the most points. Japan and Slovakia are tied with three points. Japan’s place in the round of 16 depends on the results of the final Group E and F matches. The situation is not easy.메이저사이트
On the contrary, South Korea has clinched a spot in the round of 16 because of it. South Korea currently sits in second place in Group F with one win and one draw (4 points). They will play their final game on the 29th against group leader Gambia. Even if they lose, South Korea will still have four points with one win, one draw, and one loss. Japan and Slovakia have already qualified for the round of 16 with just three points.
This is South Korea’s third consecutive appearance in the round of 16. At the 2017 tournament in South Korea, they went through the group stage with two wins and one loss before falling to Portugal. At the most recent tournament in 2019, they also went 2-1 and reached the round of 16, defeating Japan, Senegal, and Ecuador to reach the final. They then lost to Ukraine to finish as runners-up.