Ecuador’s 16-year-old prospect Kendry Paes is one of the most sought-after talents, just like Lee Kang-in four years ago. Ecuador sets out to avenge four years ago with Paes at the forefront in the Korean War.
On the 2nd at 6:00 am (Korean time), Korea and Ecuador will play the FIFA U20 World Cup round of 16 at the Estadio Unico Madre de Ciudades in Santiago del Estero, Argentina.
Korea, which belonged to Group F with France, Honduras and Gambia, advanced to the round of 16 with 1 win, 2 draws and no losses. After beating France 2-1 in the first leg, they drew against Honduras and Gambia.
Ecuador, who were in Group B with the United States, Slovakia and Fiji, also qualified for the tournament in second place. Although they lost 0-1 to the United States in the first match, they secured second place by holding Slovakia and Fiji in succession. In the third game against Fiji, he showed firepower by scoring a whopping 9 goals.
Korea and Ecuador faced each other in the semifinals of the last tournament in Poland. In the 39th minute of the first half, Choi Joon, who received a free kick that caught Lee Kang-in’s surprise, scored the winning goal for South Korea, overcoming Ecuador. At the time, Ecuador overpowered Korea with only 6 effective shots, but failed to advance to the final due to bad luck with the goal post and Lee Kwang-yeon’s saving show.
Ecuador is sharpening the blade of revenge ahead of this confrontation. ‘ESPN Deportes’ published an article on the 30th, “Ecuador’s U20 team must learn from the mistakes of the 2019 Korean War.” The media wrote, “Currently, the Ecuadorian team has a kind of vengeance towards Korea. I am sure they have learned well so as not to repeat basic mistakes.” Four years ago, as soon as Gonzalo Plata showed his back, Lee Kang-in’s free kick passed to Choi Jun was once again highlighted.
The player leading Ecuador’s revenge is Kendrip Paes (16), who, like Lee Kang-in, participated in the tournament with his older brothers. Although Paes was born in 2007, he was finally selected for the U20 national team in recognition of his outstanding talent. There is also talk that it has already been confirmed that he will join Chelsea in the English Premier League (EPL) in 2025. Like Lee Kang-in, he is a good left-footed player, and his dribbling and kicking power are evaluated as ‘the greatest talent ever’.메이저사이트
In this tournament as well, he played as a starter in all three group stage matches. He also played a decisive role. In the second match against Slovakia, he assisted Justin Quero’s equalizer with a sensible left-footed pass. In the second half, he hit the crossbar with his left foot out front. After this scene, Jose Andres Kuhlinger Sosa, who led Ecuador to victory, scored a fantastic mid-range come-from-behind goal. In the final game against Fiji, he penetrated into the penalty area and finished with his right foot to score the opening goal. With this goal, Páes broke the record for youngest goal scorer at the U20 World Cup.
Ecuador is considered one of the favorites to win this tournament. At the center is Paes, ‘Lee Kang-in of Ecuador’.