Republic of Korea prove too strong for Uruguay

18 Jan. 2023

Republic of Korea prove too strong for Uruguay

After losing all of their three matches at the group stage, the Republic of Korea claimed their maiden win at Poland/Sweden 2023, beating Uruguay by seven goals in President's Cup Group I.

Following this result, the Asians top the group alongside Chile, with both having two points, while Uruguay and Saudi Arabia have no points. 

President's Cup Group I

Uruguay vs Republic of Korea 30:37 (15:23)

At the previous stage of the competition, Uruguay had never scored more than 25 goals in a match, but now they were more powerful in attack, hitting the 30-goal mark. However, it was not enough for a positive result, as the South Americans' defensive game once again left much to be desired. 

Uruguay conceded 115 goals in total in the group phase (38.3 per match), which was the worst result of all the participating teams. And now, again, the team coached by Nicolás Guerra failed to hold back their opponents, as the Republic of Korea netted 37 times.

Left back Ha Taehyun and line player Jin Yusung became joint top scorers in the Asian team with six goals. Uruguay had players who made a bigger impact – left wing Federico Rubbo scored eight goals and right back Maximilian De Agrela added seven more to the team's tally. However, Korea were better as a unit, which helped them earn two long-awaited points and end a losing run at the competition.

The match was close in the opening minutes, but after the rivals were tied at 8:8 in the 11th minute, Korea used a 6:1 run to pull clear at 14:9, which was probably a crucial phase of the whole encounter. The Asians boosted their morale and extended their advantage, reaching eight goals at half-time.

The second half was more balanced, but Korea's cushion was big enough to avoid any extra pressure. In the 45th minute, the Asians enjoyed a double-digit advantage, 30:20, and there were no more doubts about the outcome. Notably, goalkeeper Changwoo Lee made his contribution to the victory with his nine saves and a 31% save rate. On Friday, Korea will try to take another victory against fellow Asian team Saudi Arabia. 

hummel Player of the Match: Changwoo Lee (Republic of Korea)