S. Korea fall to Italy in FIFA U-20 World Cup semifinals

▲ Lee Seung-won of South Korea (C) celebrates after scoring a penalty against Italy during the teams' semifinal match at the FIFA U-20 World Cup at La Plata Stadium in La Plata, Argentina, on June 8, 2023. (Yonhap)

▲ South Korean players (in red) react to a goal by Cesare Casadei of Italy during the teams' semifinal match at the FIFA U-20 World Cup at La Plata Stadium in La Plata, Argentina, on June 8, 2023. (Yonhap)

▲ Lee Young-jun of South Korea (L) tries to fend off Gabriele Guarino of Italy during the teams' semifinal match at the FIFA U-20 World Cup at La Plata Stadium in La Plata, Argentina, on June 8, 2023. (Yonhap)

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S. Korea fall to Italy in FIFA U-20 World Cup semifinals

LA PLATA, Argentina, June 8 (Yonhap) -- South Korea lost to Italy 2-1 in the semifinals of the FIFA U-20 World Cup on Thursday, as they fell one win shy of a second straight trip to the championship match.

Simone Pafundi scored a free kick goal to break the deadlock in the 86th minute at La Plata Stadium in La Plata, eastern Argentina. South Korean captain Lee Seung-won had the team's lone goal on a first-half penalty.

Coached by Kim Eun-jung, South Korea will take on Israel in the third-place match, back in La Plata, at 2:30 p.m. Sunday local time, or 2:30 a.m. Monday in Seoul.

This was South Korea's second straight appearance in the last four at the U-20 World Cup. They finished as runners-up to Ukraine in the 2019 tournament, and the 2021 competition was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

South Korea have never won a FIFA men's tournament. The country captured the FIFA Women's U-17 World Cup title in 2010.

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