Byun Sung-hwan, head coach of the South Korea U17 national team, has expressed his excitement after the team qualified for the FIFA U17 World Cup.
Byun Sung-hwan’s side defeated Thailand 4-1 in the quarterfinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U17 Asian Cup at Pathum Thani Stadium in Thailand on Friday (July 25). With the semifinal victory, South Korea qualified for the 2023 FIFA U17 World Cup, which is awarded to the first through fourth place finishers in the tournament.
South Korea took the lead in the third minute of the first half on a header from Kang Min-woo. Despite conceding a goal in the 15th minute, Korea regained the lead in the 36th minute through Kim Myung-Jun. Yoon Do-young added a goal in the 23rd minute and Kim Hyun-min in the 38th minute to seal the victory.
After the game, head coach Byun Sung-hwan said, “It was a very difficult game, but the players did a good job on the field as we prepared and followed the game plan. I’m so grateful and thankful to my players. I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me a special experience.”
“We have never changed our game plan, principles and direction since the beginning of this tournament. We tried to keep our soccer steady even when there were external changes. There were difficulties, but I think we managed to overcome them.”
There was also joy. When asked how he felt, Byun said, “I’m very happy and pleased. Yesterday, when I was traveling on the bus after the last training session, 메이저사이트 I was thinking a lot. “I thought a lot about what it would be like if our team won and got a ticket to the World Cup. Even this morning, I spent a lot of time alone and imagined how I would feel if my team won, and I’m so happy to be in this moment with the result and the interview,” he reiterated.