Eliminated For The First Time
Byun Hyung-hwan’s “dak ball” soccer has been blocked by the wall of world soccer.
South Korea’s U-17 national soccer team, led by head coach Byun Hyung-hwan, lost 1-2 in the final Group E match of the 2023 FIFA U-17 World Cup against Burkina Faso at Jalak Harupat Stadium in Sorean, Indonesia, on the 18th (Korea time).
As a result, South Korea suffered the humiliation of losing all games for the first time in U-17 history. There have been times when they have failed to reach the round of 16, but it is the first time that they have finished the tournament with a complete defeat.
In addition, it is the first time in 16 years that the schedule has been completed in the group stage since 2007.
South Korea has already been confirmed to be eliminated from the round of 16 even before the game. South Korea, which lost in the U.S. (1-3) and France (0-1), had important results from Mexico and New Zealand prior to the Burkina Faso match. If New Zealand draws or wins, the number of cases remains, but even this disappeared as Mexico won 4-0.
Early elimination from the round of 16 was not good news. Still, if you wanted to win against Burkina Faso for the beauty of the species, it was also a good point to use as a motivation. However, it seems to have had an adverse effect.
South Korea struggled more against Burkina Faso than against the United States and France. After the attack, the pace of transition to defense was slow, and Burkina Faso’s dynamic counter attack faced a crisis of massive runs.
Hong Sung-min made seven saves to minimize the loss. The two runs were also a one-on-one situation due to errors by the midfield and defense. Even on Hong Seong-min’s Day, it was not possible to prevent all nine dangerous situations.
South Korea’s “dakgong” soccer is attractive and worked well in Asia. The final match of the Asian Games against Japan was also strong enough to have an equal game if not for the poor referee’s misjudgment.
The difference from the world was huge. South Korea’s “dakgong” soccer did not work at the World Cup. Confident and unafraid of failure, the attack was attractive. However, the speed of switching to defense after failure did not support it.
After taking the helm of the national team, Byeon led the game and emphasized attack-oriented football. This style of guidance worked well in Asia. However, it was a tactic that could not be used immediately for opponents with better athletic abilities and physicality than Korean players. This is why he failed to show proper “dak ball” football at the World Cup.
Of course, for young players now growing up, this World Cup was an opportunity to show off their skills to the fullest. And the one-on-one dribble and shooting, which were not afraid of failure, remained. The result of the return was just not good.
This World Cup is a competition that cannot be solely focused on the results. However, there is an incomparable difference between learning from defeat and learning from victory. It’s just a shame that I didn’t get a chance to run a little more.
There is no need to bow to the result of a three-game defeat. South Korea certainly learned a lesson from the World Cup. And I was motivated to go further. This World Cup does not guarantee a soccer life. It’s only a U-17 now. The important thing is that I knew I had to develop further. 안전놀이터