Europe 1 with AFP / Photo credit: Andres Larrovere / AFP 22:45 p.m., May 22, 2023

The France team kicked off its U20 World Cup with a defeat against South Korea on the lawn of Mendoza (1-2). The Blues were surprised twice despite their clear dominance on the field. They will face Gambia on Thursday in the second group match.

The U20 France team missed its debut in the Under-20 World Cup by losing 2-1 to ultra-realistic South Korea on Monday in Mendoza, 1000km from Buenos Aires. Ten years after the triumph of the Pogba gang in Istanbul, the Blueberries fell from high to the foot of the Andes Cordillera, paying dearly for their naivety in defence. Unable to ensure their back on their corner, they were punished by the South Koreans who had shown absolutely nothing until then: on a supersonic counter-attack, captain Lee Seungwon concluded with a dry strike at the entrance of the penalty area (22nd).

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Bounce back quickly

While the Blueberries were trying to recover in the second half, the South Koreans again showed realism and drove the nail on free kick, the immense Lee Youngjun cutting the trajectory to make the break (64th). Six minutes later, Landry Chauvin's men benefited from a salutary stroke of fate, the referee awarded them a generous penalty that captain Virginius converted. Then they created a string of chances, to no avail.

In this Group F which also includes Gambia and Honduras opposed at the end of the evening on the same lawn, the Blueberries will have to bounce back Thursday against the African team to hope to continue the adventure of this World Cup.