Honduras head coach Luis Alvarado calls South Korea a “difficult opponent” but vows to fight to the end메이저사이트.
Kim Joong-ho’s men will face Honduras in their second Group F match of the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023 at the Malvinas Stadium in Mendoza, Argentina, on June 25 at 6 a.m. ET. South Korea earned their first win of the tournament with a 2-1 victory over France in the first leg.
They can book their spot in the round of 16 with a win over Honduras. If South Korea defeats Honduras and The Gambia fails to beat France, South Korea will clinch at least second place in the group. Regardless of the outcome of the third game against the Gambia, they will advance to the round of 16 early.
Honduras, on the other hand, will struggle to advance in the tournament if they lose to South Korea. They lost 1-2 to the Gambia in the first round and face tough opponents in both the second and third rounds.
Head coach Luis Alvarado. Honduran Football Federation YouTube capture
“We didn’t get the result we wanted in the first game,” said Honduras head coach Luis Alvarado at a press conference ahead of the match. We thought we could at least get a draw, but there was an offside call and we couldn’t win. Now we are focusing 100% on recovering the players to be in the best shape for the match against South Korea,” he said.
“We analyzed Korea beforehand. They respected France and changed their game system and strategy, which worked well for them. We were in their zone for most of the game, but their superior skill and speed made the difference.”
“We know that our opponent is very difficult. We showed it against France and the Asian Cup. We have nothing to lose. I want to write a different history for Honduras, and the players have the same dream. I told them that if they believe, I believe. They said, ‘Let’s fight, we want to make history,'” he said. “We are a hungry team. Who would have imagined the possibility of beating South Korea after beating France, but we are all capable. At the end of the day, it’s 11-on-11 on the pitch, and we have to be disciplined enough,” he said, showing no signs of giving up.
“We scored two goals in the first leg, which is never easy in a World Cup,” said Alvarado. “We scored two goals in the first leg, which is never easy in a World Cup. One was recognized, the other wasn’t, but I hope we can dream of victory against South Korea with this kind of conviction,” he said.