“I was happy that the players were convinced that our football was not wrong”
Byun Sung-hwan, head coach of the South Korean U-17 national team, praised his players for their 95-point performance at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-17 Asian Cup 2023 after they finished as runners-up to Japan.
Byun’s U-17s fell 0-3 in the tournament’s final match against Japan at Pathum Thani Stadium in Thailand on Sunday. The Koreans, who were knocking on the door of their third podium finish in 21 years after winning the tournament in 2002, were unable to break through the Japanese barrier.
Despite finishing as runners-up, the Byuns have already qualified for the World Cup, which is awarded to the top four teams in the tournament, and will compete in the U-17 World Cup in Indonesia starting on November 10.
In his post-match press conference, Byun said, “We didn’t do what we planned due to the dismissals. However, I was impressed by the way the players fought on the field until the end,” said Byun. “It was quite painful for me as a coach to see tears in our players’ eyes after the game.” 꽁머니사이트
He also encouraged the players, saying, “I can give them 95 out of 100 points, they proved their ability and convinced me that our soccer is not wrong, so I was very happy as a coach.”
“We will make up for what we lacked, review the players, and start training for the World Cup in earnest in August,” Byun concluded.