Will South Korea U-23 National Team Face 'Park Hang-seo's' Vietnam in the Quarterfinals?

On the afternoon of the 15th (local time), at Thammasat Stadium in Rangsit, Thailand, Korean players who won the final group stage match against Uzbekistan in the 2020 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Championship are greeting the opposing team players. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Sung-yeol] Depending on the results of the final group stage match in Group D of the 2020 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Championship, the opponent for the South Korea U-23 national football team, led by coach Kim Hak-beom, in the quarterfinals is expected to be decided.

South Korea advanced to the quarterfinals as the top team in Group C, known as the "Group of Death," by defeating China, Iran, and Uzbekistan in the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship preliminary tournament.

South Korea will face the second-place team from Group D in the quarterfinals on the 19th. The second-place team in Group D will be one of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Vietnam, or Jordan.

As of the 16th, ahead of the final match, UAE and Jordan each have 4 points with 1 win and 1 draw, ranking first and second respectively based on goal difference. Park Hang-seo's Vietnam has 2 points from 2 draws against UAE and Jordan, placing third.

If Vietnam wins against North Korea in today's (16th) final match, they will advance to the quarterfinals as the second-place team in the group, meeting South Korea, following the winner of the UAE vs. Jordan match.

If Vietnam wins and the UAE and Jordan match ends in a draw, all three teams will have 5 points with 1 win and 2 draws.

In this tournament, if points are tied, the head-to-head principle is applied to determine the quarterfinalists. Since Vietnam has already drawn with both UAE and Jordan, goal difference and goals scored will be used to decide who advances.

In this case, Vietnam must achieve a large goal difference against North Korea and consider how many goals are scored in the UAE vs. Jordan match.

For coach Park Hang-seo, the best scenario is for Vietnam to score 3 or more goals against North Korea and for UAE and Jordan to draw, allowing Vietnam to advance as the group’s first-place team.

South Korea leads the historical record against UAE's U-23 team with 5 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss. They met last November at the Dubai Cup, resulting in a 1-1 draw. Against Jordan, South Korea holds an advantage with 3 wins and 3 draws.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.