After winning the ball with forward pressure, Lee Young-joon fired a powerful shot early on.
With five in midfield, South Korea bolstered their midfield and capitalized on a counterattack opportunity in the 22nd minute.
Kim Yong-hak, who plays 안전놀이터 in the Portuguese league, drove down the flank with speed, and captain Lee Seung-won delivered the decisive blow.
After a sharp free kick from Kang Sung-jin gave the team momentum, they went one better in the second half with a header from Lee Young-joon in the 19th minute.
Having anticipated exactly where Lee Seung-won, the man responsible for the first goal, would place the ball, Young-joon leapt up and redirected the ball just slightly.
Goalkeeper Kim Jun-hong’s saves shined in the second half as France fought back.
In particular, he saved what could have been an own goal in the fifth minute of the second half.
Midway through the second half, there was a controversial call.
Kim Jun-hong was warned for bumping into a French attacker while trying to clear a cross.
The goalkeeper was warned, not the striker.
As a result, the national team lost a goal on a penalty kick.
Despite being psychologically shaken, Kim Jun-hong continued to make saves to preserve the 2-1 victory.
[Kim Eun-joong, head coach of the U20 National Team: “I think the most important thing about our man of the match is that all 21 players played together as a team and knew what we had to do.”]
After beating powerhouse France to boost their chances of advancing to the Round of 16, the team will look to make it two wins in a row against Honduras on April 26.