Kim Eun-jung-ho concedes another penalty. No contact with an opponent in the box.
Kim Eun-Joong’s South Korea Under-20 soccer team cried after a dubious call. The team drew 2-2 with Honduras in their second Group F match at the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023 at the Mendoza Stadium in Argentina on Monday (June 26).
After defeating European powerhouse France in the first round, South Korea was looking to knock off Honduras to advance to the Round of 16. South Korea made only one change from their strong performance against France, starting Bae Joon-ho (Daejeon Hana Citizen) after he returned from injury.
The team tried to maintain the flow but struggled early on. They were disappointed to concede the lead, but the referee didn’t help. In the 19th minute, there was contact between Choi Seok-hyun (Dankook University) and Daniel Carter inside the penalty box. The referee let it go, but the video assistant referee (VAR) overturned the call and turned it into a penalty kick.
It was ambiguous. There was contact in the box, but Carter lost his center first and went down. It could have been read as an attempt to draw a penalty, and South Korea conceded a penalty to David Ochoa. For the second game in a row, the Koreans had a penalty kick disallowed after goalkeeper Kim Jun-hong collided with an opponent during a ball contest. 안전놀이터
Be careful. The referee’s decision to award a penalty kick based on the slightest contact, rather than intent and context, sends a message about the tone of the competition. We need more composure at the back to avoid creating unfair situations.
Burdened by the penalty kick decision, the team continued to be dragged down by Honduras. They were unable to capitalize on their numerical advantage after the sending-off. Instead, they conceded another goal on a counterattack in the fifth minute of the second half.
After Kim Yong-hak (Portimonense) pulled one back late on, the Koreans overcame the two-goal deficit through Park Seung-ho’s header.
With the 1-1 draw, South Korea moved closer to their primary goal of qualifying for the round of 16. They will play Gambia in their final match on April 29 for the top spot in the group. As South Korea looks beyond the round of 16, it is important to read the mood of the game to advance to the next level. Prioritizing contact-free defense against the Gambia, a team with good momentum and individuality, is the way to avoid ambiguous calls.