Chile beat Republic of Korea to reach President's Cup final
22 Jan. 2023
Both teams had claimed the maximum of four points in their two previous matches of the consolation tournament, so the winner of their clash was sure to finish top of Group I.
In the end, Chile celebrated a victory and will face Tunisia in the 25/26 Placement Match on Wednesday, which will also serve as the President's Cup final.
President's Cup Group I
Republic of Korea vs Chile 26:33 (16:16)
The South Americans played a good game, boasting a 78% shot efficiency compared to the Republic of Korea's 59%. And while the Asians were fighting hard for a long time, Chile proved to be a better side at the crucial phase of the match to clinch a seven-goal victory.
Once again, the experienced left back Erwin Feuchtmann became their top scorer, this time with nine goals, while right wing Francisco Ahumada added seven more. In the Korean team, captain Kang Jeong-gu recorded six goals and three assists and was elected hummel Player of the Match.
Ahumada, who opened the score, went on to net four more times by the 18th minute, propelling his team to a 12:8 lead. However, Korea improved their defence as the match progressed and they managed to draw level at half-time (16:16).
The Korean goalkeeper Kim Donguk, who had become a hero in the previous match against Saudi Arabia, now had just a 15% save rate, just like his colleague Lee Chang-woo. The Chilean goalkeeper Felipe Garcia did a better job, recording 11 saves for a 31% save efficiency.
Decent goalkeeping was one of the factors that helped Chile to win, alongside Erwin Feuchtmann's scoring abilities. As Korea struggled in attack after the restart, the South Americans started to pull clear. Midway through the second half, they were in front 27:20, and the match was settled.
A few minutes before full-time, Korea's Park Young-jun was given a red and a blue card for a hard challenge on the Chilean captain Rodrigo Salinas. The Asians were unhappy with the result and, after finishing second in Group I, they will face North Macedonia or Morocco in the 27/28 Placement Match.
hummel Player of the Match: Kang Jeong-gu (Republic of Korea)