South Korea's under-20 football team... finished in second place at the FIFA U-20 World Cup,... losing three-to-one against Ukraine in the final.<br />Despite the loss,... it was a historic tournament for the young Taeguk Warriors... who defied all expectations with their improbable streak.<br />Our Kan Hyeong-woo has our top story. <br />Team Korea gave its all, but came up just short of taking home... their first-ever FIFA World Cup trophy.<br />Despite the 3-1 loss to Ukraine in the FIFA Under-20 World Cup final... held in the Polish city of Lodz,... the young Taegeuk Warriors have written a page in history books. <br />The young squad became the first men's team from South Korea... to finish runner-up at a FIFA tournament. <br />Team Korea scored the first goal of the match as Lee Kang-in converted a penalty kick at the fifth minute.... after video reviews confirmed a foul on Ukraine at the right edge of the penalty box.<br />But the young Taeguek Warriors could not hold on to the early lead,... allowing three unanswered goals, one at the 34th minute and two more in the second half.<br />Although Team Korea fell one win shy of taking its first-ever title at the biennial competition,... it was still a remarkable run,... as many people didn't expect them to even survive the group stage... in the company of Argentina, South Africa and Portugal. <br />After losing its opener against Portugal on May 25th,... South Korea won five consecutive games to reach the final,... defeating South Africa, Argentina, Japan, Senegal and Ecuador. <br />In spite of the loss,... South Korea's ace Lee Kang-in,... who is also the youngest player on the squad at 18,... finished the tournament having scored two goals and adding four assists in seven matches. <br />For his exploits,... Lee was named the winner of the Golden Ball trophy, an award given to the best player of the tournament. <br />He has become the first South Korean player on the men's side... to win the top individual award at a FIFA tournament. <br />Given that the Golden Ball trophy usually goes to a player on the championship team,... it was clear that Lee's playmaking ability had left quite an impression on the tournament observers. <br />"It wasn't just me playing well. It was my teammates who played their hearts out and and I got this award thanks to them. I feel that this award wasn't given only to me, but to the entire team." <br />The young Taegeuk Warriors are expected to return to South Korea on Monday and attend a welcoming ceremony in front of Seoul City Hall. <br />Kan Hyeong-woo, Arirang News <br />
