‘Kim Eun-joong-ho”s eyes are already on the quarterfinals. What will be the opponent team to meet at the gateway to the world stage?

The national under-20 (U-20) soccer team led by coach Kim Eun-joong will play against Tajikistan at the Bunyodkor Stadium in Tashkent, Uzbekistan at 9:00 pm (Korean time) on the 8th at the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-20 Asian Cup Group Stage C Group 3 will be held. The national team, which has already accumulated two wins, can advance to the quarterfinals as top of the group just by drawing with Tajikistan.

The national team scored 6 goals in the previous 2 games, but did not concede. He scored 4 goals in Oman and 2 goals in Jordan. Despite operating a large rotation, all players performed at an ace level. Among them, striker Kang Seong-jin (FC Seoul), who was also selected for the A national team last year, and Kim Yong-hak, who plays for Portugal Portimonense, stood out.

Even with one game left in the group stage, the national team’s eyes are headed higher. As the top four teams are given the right to participate in the U-20 World Cup, which will be held in Indonesia in May, advancing to the semifinals is the primary goal of the national team. For that reason, the most important thing is what kind of opponent you will face in the quarterfinals. 메이저놀이터

The opponents in the quarterfinals are Japan, China, and Saudi Arabia from Group D. Japan is ranked first in the group with two consecutive wins, followed by China (1 win and 1 loss, 3 points, +1 goal difference) and Saudi Arabia (1 win and 1 loss, 3 points, -1 goal difference). Initially, a second match between Japan and Saudi Arabia was expected, but in the second match on the 6th, China caused a surprise by beating Saudi Arabia 2-0. On the 9th, the third round of the group stage between Saudi Arabia and Japan and China and Kyrgyzstan will be held.

As ‘Kim Eun-joong-ho’, anyone can try it. Although rivals Japan and former champions Saudi Arabia are burdensome in terms of power, they are not opponents to be feared. Here, Korea may have the upper hand physically. Although Japan is likely to be ranked first in Group D, it will face a strong challenge from Saudi Arabia, which must win in order to advance to the quarterfinals. China, which has inflated hopes by winning the second game, can rise to first place, and Kyrgyzstan can also overturn at the last minute. After confirming their advance to the quarterfinals a day earlier, Korea can relax and watch who will face off against them.