{"id":3568,"date":"2023-06-11T22:30:12","date_gmt":"2023-06-11T13:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/?p=3568"},"modified":"2026-09-25T15:11:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T05:41:23","slug":"a-mixed-bag-for-asia-at-u20-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/a-mixed-bag-for-asia-at-u20-world-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"A mixed bag for Asia at U20 World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3 id=\"for-a-third-fifa-u20-world-cup-in-a-row-south-korea-has-led-the-asian-charge-in-youth-football\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">For a third FIFA U20 World Cup in a row, South Korea has led the Asian charge in youth football.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While they couldn\u2019t replicate their run to the final from 2019, their safe passage through to the semi-finals was Asia\u2019s best in Argentina; regrettably a tournament that probably won\u2019t live too long in the memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Whether you stayed up late, or set your alarm for an early morning wakeup call, the quality of football on offer probably didn\u2019t reward you for the sleep that you sacrificed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/uzbekistan-provide-a-glimpse-into-a-positive-future\/\">As we witnessed in Uzbekistan three months ago at the AFC U20 Asian Cup,<\/a> the four Asian sides who qualified deployed a broadly conservative setup; a cautious, counter attacking approach that offered little of the excitement and adventure many would have hoped for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In truth, the U20 World Cup as a whole is starting to lose the charm it once had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With global accessibility now at the level where you can watch and analyse any league you want, at any given point, and with scouting starting much earlier in a player\u2019s career, the cyclical buzz around finding the next hidden gem at tournaments such as these may start to be consigned to the history books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The fact club football has already unearthed much of the world\u2019s next generation was spelt out in the restricted squad selection on the run up to the tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">France had to pick a second or even third string selection, having been rebuffed by clubs keen on keeping their up-and-coming talents under wraps and out of the spotlight. It wasn\u2019t just the world\u2019s elite that felt the impact, the last-minute refusal from Manchester United to release Iraqi playmaker Zidane Iqbal was a significant blow to his side\u2019s tournament hopes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"TAG TV: Do results matter at underage tournaments?\" width=\"1290\" height=\"726\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DMqXSRC1Z6E?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Admittedly scheduling didn\u2019t aid their cause &#8211; the tournament falling in the dying embers of the European league season &#8211; but neither was some of the organisation on the ground, even with the added mitigation of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/tag-podcast-anger-and-frustration-in-indonesia\/\">last-minute switch in hosting<\/a> to the other side of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The pitches offered up were woefully substandard; at best patchy, at worst uneven and, weather depending, occasionally sodden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ongoing difficulties with demonstrating consistent interpretation of officiating decisions, or when and how to use video technology, was another recurring nightmare reminiscent of FIFA youth tournaments of the last decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Past that, the question that regularly arrives at this point, was once again poised. Are these tournaments designed around development, either on an individual basis or in terms of team philosophy, or on sporting merit and prestige?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The fact every nation in Argentina had a different definition of what success looked like added to an at times disjointed looking tournament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But in South Korea, Asia have probably found the best balance between those factors, managing back-to-back runs to the latter stages of the tournament, the first Asian nation to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An opening round <em>\u201cshock\u201d<\/em> victory over the aforementioned, understrength French was the team\u2019s first win against European opposition in 20 years at this level. But the fact it was achieved in broadly reactive circumstances gave a hint as to what this team would become known for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-x\"><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">2019: \ud83e\udd48<br>2023: \ud83e\udd14<br><br>\ud83c\uddf0\ud83c\uddf7 Korea Republic are on the hunt for redemption at this <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/U20WC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#U20WC<\/a>&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/tczpsmOx7k\">pic.twitter.com\/tczpsmOx7k<\/a><\/p>&mdash; FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/FIFAWorldCup\/status\/1666897885110337537?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">June 8, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A difficult 2-2 draw against Honduras, which required a second half comeback was followed by a dead rubber draw with Gambia that ensured progression for both to the knockouts. Their stumble through to the semis, with an extra time winner over Nigeria with their first shot on target, added to the narrative of grinding progress over comfortable domination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Between matches, there was time to get excited in the potential this group actually has, if given a little freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their thrilling 3-2 victory over Ecuador in the Round of 16 was arguably the best match of the tournament, a moment in time amongst mediocrity that actually replicated the sort of relentless match play that could have been seen in senior football. Alas, it was a fleeting look at what could\u2019ve been.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their eventual exit at the hands of Italy did force the Koreans out of their deep block comfort zone as the match ebbed towards it\u2019s climax, which again allowed their promising technical talent to come to the fore, however it wasn\u2019t enough for a second successive passage to the U20 World Cup final.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From an individual perspective, the likes of Kim Yong-hak, Lee Seung-won and Bae Jun-ho built on their reputations from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/uzbekistan-provide-a-glimpse-into-a-positive-future\/\">earlier in the year<\/a>, in offering brief moments of attacking joy, while the real standout aspect of this Korean side was the defensive trio of centre back pairing Kim Ji-soo and Choi Seok-hyun, and their keeper Kim Jun-hong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Kim Ji-soo has already attracted admirers from Europe, it\u2019s to be seen whether the others can follow in his footsteps. But in potential terms, South Korea look in a good place defensively heading into the next generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-x\"><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"ca\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddff La alegr\u00eda de Abbosbek Fayzullaev, figura de Uzbekist\u00e1n, de tener a su familia presente en la <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/U20WC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#U20WC<\/a> de Argentina y su ambici\u00f3n por ir a la <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/CopaMundialFIFA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#CopaMundialFIFA<\/a> en 2026. \ud83e\udd79 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/dFSkRusmhH\">pic.twitter.com\/dFSkRusmhH<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Copa Mundial FIFA \ud83c\udfc6 (@fifaworldcup_es) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/fifaworldcup_es\/status\/1662495097529958400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 27, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Korea were joined in the knockout stages by U20 Asian champions Uzbekistan, who narrowly failed to make it three from three quarter-final appearances at this level with a late defeat to Israel in the Round of 16.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/asias-best-ready-to-shine-bright-on-global-stage\/\">As we previewed heading into the tournament<\/a>, this isn\u2019t the best set of Uzbek youth players we\u2019ve seen over the last decade, however they did illustrate an improvement in tactical organisation and solidity along their spine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their campaign ultimately hit its peak on opening night, narrowly missing out to the hosts on day one, having equally benefitted and lost out to narrow VAR calls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In terms of exposure, however, there was plenty to take away from the encounter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The likes of Abbosbek Fayzullaev and Umarali Rahmonaliev rose to the occasion in the global spotlight against peers on the books of Inter Milan, Manchester City and Juventus, while wider recognition for Central Asian football started to flood in after a mature and combative display against the reigning senior world champions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From there on, however, they retreated to their expected level. A late comeback against New Zealand salvaged a frustrating draw, while Honduras offered meagre opposition in their final group match to seek progression \u2013 neither were approached with any certain effectiveness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-x\"><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">As the group stage concludes, to sum up, it&#39;s been a mixed week for Asia.<br><br>\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddff Uzbekistan will face Israel in the Round of 16 on Tuesday<br><br>\ud83c\uddf0\ud83c\uddf7 South Korea will face Ecuador on Thursday<br><br>Japan &amp; Iraq head home after two disappointing campaigns that promised more. <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/U20WC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#U20WC<\/a><\/p>&mdash; plasticpitch (@plasticpitch) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/plasticpitch\/status\/1662956534693765121?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 28, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the knockouts, despite a committed rear-guard display, most notably from their star of the tournament, centre back and recent senior call up Abdokodir Khusanov, Israel finally broke down the back door in stoppage time. A cruel, late defeat on paper, had in truth been a long time coming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They weren\u2019t the only team to be eliminated by a stoppage time Israeli goal either, as Japan limply let slip a 1-0 lead and extra man advantage in the final 15 minutes, to lose 2-1 and fall out of contention for the knockout phase. While halted at the last second, regrettably their delivery to that point hadn\u2019t suggested any merit in progressing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While their opening day win against a threatening Senegal side provided hope that, if a ropey performance could acquire results (the sign of champions they say\u2026), then what could they achieve when they finally hit their groove? Yet, no such bounce back occurred, losing comfortably to Colombia and then Israel in their follow up encounters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At no time over the course of the group did Japan look in control. A team of individuals fighting against a tactical setup that disregarded any sense of steady build up play, in favour of direct football and deep defending, in the hope of mere miracles at the other end of the field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Koichi Togashi was left franticly, and at times comically, fiddling with his magnetic tactics board on the side-lines, without any real connection to his key players on the pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-x\"><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">These U-20 World Cup stats from the young Samurai Blue \ud83d\ude33<br><br>Goals: 3 (17th tied)<br>Shots: 28 (19th)<br>Shots on target: 11 (18th) <br>Shots in the opposition&#39;s box: 11 (18th)<br><br>*Out of 24 teams<br><br>(via <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/OptaJiro?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@OptaJiro<\/a>) <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/e3olINXEk9\">pic.twitter.com\/e3olINXEk9<\/a><\/p>&mdash; J. Football Now (@j_football_now) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/j_football_now\/status\/1663200024254382082?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 29, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It helps when you have the likes of Kuryu Matsuki, equally capable of the brilliant &#8211; as illustrated by his stunning opener against Senegal &#8211; but also the frustrating, with a third successive penalty miss in underage tournaments, now having missed spot kicks at the U23 Asian Cup, the U20 Asian Cup and now the U20 World Cup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We saw similar individual promise from midfielder Taichi Fukui and defender Kota Takai, albeit frustratingly played out of position, but with no tactical structure to be seen, moments of ambition were fleeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In stark contrast, Iraq offered the most intriguing prospect for Asia, playing with emotion, positivity but regrettably a sense of naivety, racing towards elimination after two matches, having not scored a goal during their time in Argentina.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Responding from a sloppy opener, where they were ruthlessly picked apart by eventual finalists, Uruguay, their fate was sealed against Tunisia, with their opponents scoring three from a total of seven shots on the break, while the Iraqis profligacy heralded a blank slate from a staggering 26 attempts on goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-x\"><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">After heading into the tournament on a high, Iraq exit the <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/hashtag\/U20WC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#U20WC<\/a> at the first hurdle with 1 draw &amp; 2 defeats, 0 goals scored &amp; 7 conceded.<br><br>In reality, a mix of bad luck, poor finishing &amp; brain fade moments defined the match against Tunisia, and in turn, their progression hopes.<\/p>&mdash; plasticpitch (@plasticpitch) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/plasticpitch\/status\/1662912848190636033?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 28, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A null and void goalless draw with an already qualified England, a replica on paper at least to their famous draw against the same team 10 years ago, had nowhere near the same significance, as Iraq impishly headed home without much to smile about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While there is hope the likes of defender Kadhim Raad and attacking conjurer Youssef Amyn did enough to raise the eyebrow of one or two European scouts or agents, the short-term consideration may only be centred on senior coach Jesus Casas ahead of the Asian Cup in six months\u2019 time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What this says about Asian football in a global context is difficult to ascertain. With so many mitigations and varied priorities heading into Argentina, hitting the sweet spot between suitable development opportunity and sporting success is always a hard balancing act to achieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The one concern which seems to have seeped out consistently was a tactical one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Again, we see four Asian teams acceptant of sitting deep in the hope of catching their opponents on the counter. While there were clearly individual talents that could threaten, coaching setups hindered their progress, with eventual semi-finalists Korea benefiting more from pragmatism than sheer talent and positivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moving forward, Asia needs to be braver and more positive \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/fortune-favours-the-brave\/\">as shown albeit too infrequently at the senior World Cup<\/a> &#8211; if the continent\u2019s football has any ambition of bridging the gap with the rest of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>Photo: <\/strong>The KFA<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Listen to the latest episode of <strong>The Asian Game Podcast<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Embed Player\" style=\"border:none\" src=\"https:\/\/play.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/27092295\/height\/128\/theme\/modern\/size\/standard\/thumbnail\/yes\/custom-color\/fbb344\/time-start\/00:00:00\/playlist-height\/200\/direction\/backward\/download\/yes\" height=\"128\" width=\"100%\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"\" webkitallowfullscreen=\"true\" mozallowfullscreen=\"true\" oallowfullscreen=\"true\" msallowfullscreen=\"true\"><\/iframe>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For a third FIFA U20 World Cup in a row, South Korea has led the Asian charge in youth football. While they couldn\u2019t replicate their run to the final from 2019, their safe passage through to the semi-finals was Asia\u2019s best in Argentina; regrettably a tournament that probably won\u2019t live too long in the memory. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":3569,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_gspb_post_css":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[509,94,512],"class_list":["post-3568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-analysis","tag-afc-u20-asian-cup","tag-fifa-world-cup","tag-national-teams"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>A mixed bag for Asia at U20 World Cup - The Asian Game<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/a-mixed-bag-for-asia-at-u20-world-cup\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"ro_RO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A mixed bag for Asia at U20 World Cup - The Asian Game\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For a third FIFA U20 World Cup in a row, South Korea has led the Asian charge in youth football. While they couldn\u2019t replicate their run to the final from 2019, their safe passage through to the semi-finals was Asia\u2019s best in Argentina; regrettably a tournament that probably won\u2019t live too long in the memory. [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/a-mixed-bag-for-asia-at-u20-world-cup\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Asian Game\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-06-11T13:00:12+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-09-25T05:41:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Korea-U20.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1023\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Martin Lowe\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@www.twitter.com\/plasticpitch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Martin Lowe\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/a-mixed-bag-for-asia-at-u20-world-cup\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/a-mixed-bag-for-asia-at-u20-world-cup\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Martin Lowe\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/735576ac534c4ddea1a4c8b6e6103fb0\"},\"headline\":\"A mixed bag for Asia at U20 World Cup\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-06-11T13:00:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-25T05:41:23+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/a-mixed-bag-for-asia-at-u20-world-cup\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1747,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/a-mixed-bag-for-asia-at-u20-world-cup\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/Korea-U20.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1023&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"AFC U20 Asian Cup\",\"FIFA World Cup\",\"National Teams\"],\"articleSection\":[\"ANALYSIS\"],\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/a-mixed-bag-for-asia-at-u20-world-cup\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/a-mixed-bag-for-asia-at-u20-world-cup\\\/\",\"name\":\"A mixed bag for Asia at U20 World Cup - The Asian Game\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/a-mixed-bag-for-asia-at-u20-world-cup\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/a-mixed-bag-for-asia-at-u20-world-cup\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/Korea-U20.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1023&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2023-06-11T13:00:12+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-25T05:41:23+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/a-mixed-bag-for-asia-at-u20-world-cup\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/a-mixed-bag-for-asia-at-u20-world-cup\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/a-mixed-bag-for-asia-at-u20-world-cup\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/Korea-U20.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1023&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/06\\\/Korea-U20.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1023&ssl=1\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":1023},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/a-mixed-bag-for-asia-at-u20-world-cup\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A mixed bag for Asia at U20 World Cup\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/\",\"name\":\"The Asian Game\",\"description\":\"Your home of Asian football\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Asian Game\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/Gradient-Main-White%404x.png?fit=1755%2C762&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/Gradient-Main-White%404x.png?fit=1755%2C762&ssl=1\",\"width\":1755,\"height\":762,\"caption\":\"The Asian Game\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/735576ac534c4ddea1a4c8b6e6103fb0\",\"name\":\"Martin Lowe\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/LOWE.png?fit=96%2C72&ssl=1\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/LOWE.png?fit=96%2C72&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/LOWE.png?fit=96%2C72&ssl=1\",\"caption\":\"Martin Lowe\"},\"description\":\"Martin Lowe is a freelance football writer, having covered Asian football for over a decade. He has appeared on the BBC, Al Jazeera English and The Mirror, covering some of the biggest stories and developments in Asian football. He has been a senior contributor at The Asian Game website since its launch in 2019.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/www.twitter.com\\\/plasticpitch\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.theasiangame.net\\\/ro\\\/author\\\/martin-lowe\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"A mixed bag for Asia at U20 World Cup - The Asian Game","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/a-mixed-bag-for-asia-at-u20-world-cup\/","og_locale":"ro_RO","og_type":"article","og_title":"A mixed bag for Asia at U20 World Cup - The Asian Game","og_description":"For a third FIFA U20 World Cup in a row, South Korea has led the Asian charge in youth football. While they couldn\u2019t replicate their run to the final from 2019, their safe passage through to the semi-finals was Asia\u2019s best in Argentina; regrettably a tournament that probably won\u2019t live too long in the memory. [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/a-mixed-bag-for-asia-at-u20-world-cup\/","og_site_name":"The Asian Game","article_published_time":"2023-06-11T13:00:12+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-09-25T05:41:23+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":1023,"url":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Korea-U20.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Martin Lowe","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@www.twitter.com\/plasticpitch","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Martin Lowe","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/a-mixed-bag-for-asia-at-u20-world-cup\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/a-mixed-bag-for-asia-at-u20-world-cup\/"},"author":{"name":"Martin Lowe","@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/#\/schema\/person\/735576ac534c4ddea1a4c8b6e6103fb0"},"headline":"A mixed bag for Asia at U20 World Cup","datePublished":"2023-06-11T13:00:12+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-25T05:41:23+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/a-mixed-bag-for-asia-at-u20-world-cup\/"},"wordCount":1747,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/a-mixed-bag-for-asia-at-u20-world-cup\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Korea-U20.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1023&ssl=1","keywords":["AFC U20 Asian Cup","FIFA World Cup","National Teams"],"articleSection":["ANALYSIS"],"inLanguage":"ro-RO"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/a-mixed-bag-for-asia-at-u20-world-cup\/","url":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/a-mixed-bag-for-asia-at-u20-world-cup\/","name":"A mixed bag for Asia at U20 World Cup - The Asian Game","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/a-mixed-bag-for-asia-at-u20-world-cup\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/a-mixed-bag-for-asia-at-u20-world-cup\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Korea-U20.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1023&ssl=1","datePublished":"2023-06-11T13:00:12+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-25T05:41:23+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/a-mixed-bag-for-asia-at-u20-world-cup\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"ro-RO","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/a-mixed-bag-for-asia-at-u20-world-cup\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"ro-RO","@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/a-mixed-bag-for-asia-at-u20-world-cup\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Korea-U20.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1023&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Korea-U20.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1023&ssl=1","width":1200,"height":1023},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/a-mixed-bag-for-asia-at-u20-world-cup\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A mixed bag for Asia at U20 World Cup"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/","name":"The Asian Game","description":"Your home of Asian football","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"ro-RO"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/#organization","name":"The Asian Game","url":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"ro-RO","@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Gradient-Main-White%404x.png?fit=1755%2C762&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Gradient-Main-White%404x.png?fit=1755%2C762&ssl=1","width":1755,"height":762,"caption":"The Asian Game"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/#\/schema\/person\/735576ac534c4ddea1a4c8b6e6103fb0","name":"Martin Lowe","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"ro-RO","@id":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/LOWE.png?fit=96%2C72&ssl=1","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/LOWE.png?fit=96%2C72&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/LOWE.png?fit=96%2C72&ssl=1","caption":"Martin Lowe"},"description":"Martin Lowe is a freelance football writer, having covered Asian football for over a decade. He has appeared on the BBC, Al Jazeera English and The Mirror, covering some of the biggest stories and developments in Asian football. He has been a senior contributor at The Asian Game website since its launch in 2019.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net","https:\/\/x.com\/www.twitter.com\/plasticpitch"],"url":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/author\/martin-lowe\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Korea-U20.jpeg?fit=1200%2C1023&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3568","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3568"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3568\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10004,"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3568\/revisions\/10004"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3569"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3568"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3568"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3568"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}