South Korea's run at the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup ended with a 3-1 loss to Italy in the quarterfinals Saturday.
Coach Park Youn-jeong's team conceded twice to Karen Appiah and once to Paola Fadda at Sosnowiec Arena in Poland. Lee Ha-eun, the No. 9 forward from Ulsan College, scored South Korea's lone goal.
South Korea finished second in Group C with a win, a draw and a loss before beating Argentina 1-0 to reach its first quarterfinal since 2014.
It was seeking its first semifinal appearance since 2010, when it finished a program-best third. Italy, which had never previously advanced beyond the group stage, continued its historic run.
Park retained the lineup that beat Argentina, but Italy broke through in the 16th minute when Appiah headed in Giada Pellegrino Cimo's cross from the left.
South Korea equalized in the 43rd minute. Jeong Da-bin's free kick struck the left post, and Han Min-seo battled for the rebound before sending the ball across for Lee to finish with her right foot.
Italy regained the lead three minutes after halftime as Appiah volleyed home Fadda's corner with her left foot.
Fadda made it 3-1 in the 63rd minute with a long-range left-footed strike from just outside the penalty arc.
South Korea made further substitutions in search of a comeback, but could not score again.
(This article was produced with the assistance of AI. — Ed. )
