Even the downpour of rain and the opponent’s physical challenges could not dampen the desire for victory. The 57th Presidential Geumbae, the oldest and most prestigious high school soccer tournament in Korea, kicked off on the 18th in Jecheon, Chungcheongbuk-do.
The tournament was expected to be hotly contested as only three teams from this year’s various tournaments participated. Defending champion Seoul Yeongdeungpo Gonggo, which also won the previous edition of the Kumgangdae, Pyeongtaek Jinwi, the champion of this year’s two tournaments, and two-time defending champion Seoul Boyango, 온라인카지노사이트 which won the championship in June, played their first group matches side by side.
The first match of the tournament, which took place at the Jecheon Football Center 3 Stadium, was also the first group match for defending champion Yeongdeungpo Gongpo. Yeongdeungpo Gonggo is considered a strong favorite to win the tournament. Striker and captain Kim Hyun-min was a key part of the team’s runner-up finish at last year’s AFC U-17 Asian Cup, while midfielder Kim Hyun-woo is currently a member of the U-20 national team. Kim has shown a flair for goals this year, scoring four in a single game, but in this match, he orchestrated the offense by protecting the final line of defense and initiating the buildup.
Anyang Gonggo may not have lifted the trophy, but the U-20 national team member Yang Woo-jin was not to be trifled with. The winger used his speed to shake up the opposing flank.
Yeongdeungpo Gonggo tried to intimidate their opponents before the game with a placard that read, “We are the strongest, we are the airspace!” Anyang Gongo responded with aggressive physicality and quick attacks. The two teams continued to exchange offense without any careful exploration from the beginning of the game.
In the middle of the first half, Anyang Gongo captain and center back Standard Myung-myung bumped his nose into an opponent’s head during a contest for an aerial ball. When asked by the match supervisor, “Is No. 5 okay?”, he gave a thumbs up and went back into the game.
Yeongdeungpo Gonggo focused on spreading the opponent’s defense with wide passes to the left and right flanks, which is in line with modern soccer. The left and right center backs of Baeksri took turns to go deep into the opponent’s territory to attack, while midfielder Kim Hyun-woo dropped down to stabilize the back three and act as a playmaker in the back. Despite dominating the game overall, the goal didn’t come until the 39th minute, just before the break, when forward Kim Dong-hwa’s shot on goal hit a defender and deflected into the back of the net.
Anyang Gonggo then tried to attack the goal with long balls, but were unable to find the back of the net. The game ended with a 1-0 victory for Yeongdeungpo Gonggo.
The winner of the 38-team tournament will be crowned in the final match on June 1 at the Jecheon Sports Complex.