Lee Young-joon (Gimcheon Commerce), a 6-foot-2 striker, led the way for the South Korea Under-20 Men’s National Team’s “Again in 2019” campaign.
Lee scored the game-winning goal in the 11th minute to lead South Korea to a 3-2 victory over Ecuador in the round of 16 at the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2023 at the Santiago del Estero Stadium in Argentina on Sunday (June 2).
Lee opened the scoring for Ecuador in the 11th minute, trapping a pass from Bae Joon-ho (Daejeon) with his chest on the right side of the goal area before firing a right-footed volley into the Ecuadorian net.
Lee, who was born in 2003, celebrated with a giant salute after the goal and took the time to pose for photographers’ cameras.
Lee was the hero of the game-winning goal against France in the first round of the group stage.
Down 1-0 in the 19th minute of the second half, Lee leapt to head home a free kick from Lee Seung-won to make it 2-0.
South Korea went on to defeat France 2-1 in that game, giving them a refreshing start.
In the second game, against Honduras, Lee Young-joon played a crucial role in South Korea’s progression to the round of 16, as he set up Kim Yong-hak’s equalizer with a precise pass from inside the penalty box in the 13th minute of the second half after trailing 2-1.
Lee’s performance is a big boost for the national team after Park Seung-ho was sidelined with an ankle injury.
With Park Seung-ho back home and virtually alone as a legitimate striker, Lee has been responsible for two of South Korea’s six goals in their four matches at the tournament.
Lee is the only South Korean player to have scored two goals in the tournament.
Nigeria, who they will face in the quarterfinals, have a number of resilient defenders, and Lee’s delivery could be a weapon.
Having scored 10 goals in 19 appearances for the U-20 national team, Lee has yet to get much playing time in the professional K League.토토사이트
He played three games for K League 2 Gimcheon Sangsang this season, recording one assist, and last season he played 16 games for K League 1 Suwon FC, recording one goal and one assist.
“We also want to win the championship,” Lee said in an interview in Korea in April, adding, “Even if I can’t play in (K League) matches, I’m learning a lot from my older brothers in training and practice matches.”