After defeating the favorites in the first game, Kim Eun-jung-ho will look to solidify his place in the Round of 16 against one of the weakest teams in the group. But they can’t afford to be complacent. They can’t afford to let their guard down against Honduras, a team that upset Korean soccer seven years ago.

Kim Eun-joong’s South Korea U-20 team 안전놀이터 will face Honduras at 6 a.m. on June 26 at the Mendoza Stadium in Mendoza, Argentina, in the second match of Group F of the FIFA World Cup 2023.

South Korea pulled off an upset in its first group game on Sept. 23, defeating France 2-1 behind goals from Lee Seung-won (Gangwon) and Lee Young-joon (Gimcheon).

As of the 24th, South Korea is tied for first place in Group F with Gambia, who beat Honduras 2-1, followed by France and Honduras in third place. The best-case scenario for South Korea in the second round is that they beat Honduras and the Gambia fail to beat France. In that case, South Korea will advance to the round of 16 early, regardless of the outcome of the Gambia’s final group game.

Honduras, who were initially thought to be the underdogs in Group F, were upset by the Gambia and are now considered the weakest team in the group. They have qualified for the U-20 World Cup eight times, but have never made it past the group stage.

South Korea has a dominant 8-1-1 record against Honduras across all age groups. However, the only loss is a bitter one. That loss came in the quarterfinals of the men’s soccer tournament at the 2016 Rio Olympics. South Korea, who were drawn in a group with strong teams like Germany and Mexico and were on a roll after topping their group, suffered a shocking 0-1 loss to Honduras in the quarterfinals, ending their medal dreams. Honduras, who were playing a ‘double bus’ defense at the time, scored a sharp counterattack to hand Korea a bitter defeat.

Honduras lost their first game against Gambia, but not by as much as the score suggests. The team is made up of mostly domestic league players, which is not to be underestimated when it comes to organization.

The player to watch out for for Honduras is striker Marco Aceituno (Real España). After scoring six goals at the North and Central American U-20 Championship, tied for second in the tournament, he also scored a header against the Gambia. His natural position is on the left flank, but he also occasionally plays up front for the national team. He’s not the tallest player at 5’11”, but he’s fast and has a great leaping ability, making him the number one target.