Baek Ki-tae's dream of the round of 16 was defeated by England in the round of 32 at the U17 World Cup
Nov 16, 2025
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South Korea's U-17 national team, led by head coach Baek Ki-tae, lost 0-2 to England in the round of 32 at the 2025 U-17 World Cup at the Espire Zone in Doha, Qatar on the 15th (Korea time). Baek Ki-tae, who failed to advance to the round of 16, unfortunately concluded his U-17 World Cup journey.
The biennial U-17 World Cup will be held every year from this year to 2029, and the number of participating countries has increased from 24 to 48. After the group stage is divided into 12 groups of four countries, eight of the 24 countries ranked first and second in each group will advance to the round of 32 to continue the competition for the championship. Among the teams that advanced to the round of 32, the match was decided according to the ranking after comparing the results (in the order of points, goal difference, multiple points, and fair play in the pre-group league game).
South Korea passed the group stage 'Death Joe' unbeaten. Mexico, Ivory Coast, Switzerland and South Korea in Group F had two wins and one draw. Baek Ki-tae, who got off to a fresh start after defeating Mexico 2-1 in the first game, also won the second game against Ivory Coast 3-1. In the final match against Switzerland, they finished second in the group with a 0-0 draw.
The opponent of the round of 32 was England, ranked second in Group E. England were completely defeated 0-3 in the first round against Venezuela, but they reached the tournament after defeating Haiti 8-1 in the second and Egypt 3-0 in the third round.
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South Korea pulled out a 4-3-3 card. Kim Do-yeon (Chungnam Machinery Technical High School), Nam I-an (Hyundai High School), and Kim Ye-gun (Yeongsaeng High School) made three-top. Kim Ji-sung (Matan High School) and Park Hyun-soo (Hyundai High School) formed the midfield. The four-back was composed of Kim Min-chan (Hyundai High School), Jung Hee-seop (Yeongsaeng High School), Koo Hyun-bin and Lim Ye-chan (Daegun High School). Park Do-hoon (Hyun Poong High School) defended the goal.
England played the same role. Reagan Heskey, Chijaram Ezenwata and Bradley Burrows formed the front line, while Luca Williams Barnett, Lewis Page and Seth Rion were located in the midfield. Bendito Mantato, Kaden Braithwaite, Fredding Symonds and Dante Headley made the four-back, and Jack Porter wore the goalkeeper's gloves.
Korea set the tone early in the game. He scored 46 seconds after kickoff. Kim Do-yeon won the ball by overcoming the opponent's physical fight and succeeded in scoring with a left-footed shot. However, the goal was canceled unfortunately when the referee declared that Kim Do-yeon had committed a foul during the physical fight.
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England, over the crisis, fought back. He gained momentum from the middle and poured out sharp shots. Barnett fired a powerful shot in the 20th minute. Park Do-hoon blocked it. Two minutes later, Nam Ian's shot slightly off the post, and Heskey's mid-range shot was blocked by Park Do-hoon's defense in the 24th minute.
28 min England scored the opening goal. Unfortunately, Korea's own goal came out. Jung Hee-seop tried to block the cutback that Rion tried from the right, but the ball was unfortunately deflected and sucked into the goal.
England, which gained momentum, scored an additional goal in the 35th minute. Heskey header Burrows' cross to open the score 2-0. Heskey is known to be the second son of former England striker Emile Heskey. South Korea collapsed, allowing two goals in seven minutes.
South Korea shot a left-footed mid-range shot after Kim Do-min broke through a sharp dribble in the extra time of the first half, but it rose high. It defended England's threatening attack well in the last minute and finished 0-2 in the first half. South Korea didn't get a single shot in the first half.
South Korea made changes at the start of the second half. Except for Nam I-an and Kim Do-yeon, Kim Ji-woo (Gaeseong High School) and Jung Hyun-woong (Osan High School) were put in to change the offense. In the 27th minute, Kim Eun-sung was added instead of Kim Ye-gun. But England's hard power remained unshakable. Based on his calm game management, he went on a quick counterattack and rather bothered Korea.
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It was a disappointing defeat, but there was plenty of possibility. South Korea has been praised for its confident attacks throughout this tournament. Young players showed their individual skills not to be pushed even against world-class teams. It wasn't a success, but at least it wasn't a failed competition.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
