The South Korea U-20 football team, led by head coach Kim Eun-joong, played the quarterfinal match of the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023 at the La Plata Stadium in La Plata, Argentina, on Monday at 6 a.m. ET. South Korea fell short of reaching the final for the second consecutive tournament with a 1-2 loss to Italy.
Same time. On the other side of the world, a street cheer was held at Gwanghwamun Square in Jung-gu, Seoul. It was organized by the Korea Football Association, the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the National Federation of Korean Businessmen and Women, and the Red Devils. It was the first time in about seven months that Gwanghwamun Square has hosted a street cheer since the World Cup in Qatar late last year.
The 6 a.m. kickoff game on a weekday was a difficult time to attend, but more than 500 fans showed up to cheer. Each of them wore the red jerseys of the national team and supporters’ jerseys. Many fans also brought Korean flags.
“As soon as I saw the announcement of the quarterfinal street cheer, I knew I had to get up early in the morning,” said Choi Yi-seo from Seongdong-gu, Seoul. “I woke up at 5 a.m., but public transportation wasn’t running, so I took a taxi to Gwanghwamun Square. I thought I was early, but I was surprised by the number of people who came before me.”
The rally was a large-scale event that started at 5am. Police and firefighters were deployed everywhere, and it went off without a hitch. People traveling to work in the Gwanghwamun neighborhood stopped to watch the soccer on the big screen before heading back to work.
On the day, South Korea conceded an early 토토사이트 goal to Cassaday in the 14th minute, but Lee Seung-won equalized on a penalty kick (PK) 10 minutes later to level the score at 1-1. Despite the rough play of the Italians, Kim Eun-jung-ho’s players did not get excited.
Instead, they showed signs of physical exhaustion. South Korea returned home early with striker Park Seung-ho, who was injured in the group stage. Because of this, striker Lee Young-joon, who started every game, was not at his best. Lee Young-joon and Kim Yong-hak’s shots were high and off the mark.
In the 41st minute of the second half, Korea conceded a goal. Italy’s Papundi shook the Korean goal with a left-footed free kick. With the score at 1-2, some of the supporters who filled Gwanghwamun Square began to pack up and get up. The final whistle blew shortly afterward, and the fans in the street cheering section headed to work and school.
South Korea will play Israel in the third-place game at 2:30 a.m. on Nov. 12 at the same stadium, with the final match between Uruguay and Italy scheduled for 6 a.m. the same day.