Seoul Boyango and Seoul Yeongdeungpo Gonggo will compete for the 2023 Presidential Geumbae title.
Boyango won 4-3 on penalties after drawing 2-2 with Incheon Bupyeong High School in the quarterfinals of the 56th Presidential Geumbae National High School Soccer Tournament at Jecheon Sports Complex on Tuesday.
The team, which reached its eighth career final, will face Yeongdeungpo Gonggo, which defeated Seoul Sangmungo 4-2, for the title at 10 a.m. on Aug. 2 at the same venue. If Boyango lifts the gold medal, it will be their fourth title since 2021, while Yeongdeungpo Gonggo will be trying to win their first gold medal.
“I said that a team with a solid defense wins the championship, and this year’s team is such a team,” said coach Shim Deok-bo. Kim Jae-woong, head coach of Yeongdeungpo Gonggo, also said, “We will try to win the title with hot soccer. We want to be recognized as the strongest team this year,” he said.
In the quarterfinals, the spotlight was on the second consecutive day of the match between two of the tournament’s regulars, Boyango and Bupyeonggo. The previous day, Boingo lost 0-1 to Bupyeonggo in the quarterfinals of the KUMBAE U17 Youth Cup, a tournament for first and second graders.
In the tournament for third graders, Boyango was able to pull off the upset against Bupyeonggo. After third-year goalkeeper Kim Hyun-woo opened the scoring in the third minute of the first half, sophomore forward Lee Min-hyuk added a second goal in the 41st minute with a fierce left-footed shot from the front of the penalty area.
Bupyeonggo didn’t stop there. Bupyeonggo capitalized on a set-piece opportunity just a minute after the second goal to Vigo. From the free kick, third-year midfielder Nam Hyun-woo scored a dramatic comeback goal. With momentum on their side, Bupyeonggo tied the game in the 37th minute when their captain, sophomore midfielder Kang Kang-wook, hit a free kick with his left foot from about 30 meters on the right flank of the penalty area.
Neither Bogo nor Bupyeonggo could find the back of the net, so the game went to penalty kicks. Boingo had a third-year goalkeeper who is known as a penalty shootout specialist. The Boyango captain made two saves in the round of 16 penalty shootout against Kwangmungo on June 6, and he did the same today. Kwon accurately predicted the direction of Bupyeonggo’s second and third kicks and saved them.
With a steady hand in goal, Boyango won the penalty shootout 4-3. 메이저사이트 “I have a strange feeling when it comes to penalty kicks and penalty shootouts,” Kwon said, “I had a feeling today, and if there is a penalty shootout situation in the final, I will stop three instead of two and win.”
In the other quarterfinal match, Yeongdeungpo Gonggo’s firepower stood out. Leading their offense was third-year goalie Kim Tae-won. He has been in incredible form this tournament, scoring a sensational header in the first minute of the second half to make it 2-1 and then scoring the team’s fourth goal with his left foot in the 28th minute. Kim Tae-won has now scored nine goals in the tournament. Sangmungo sophomore forward Kim Ji-hoon did his part with a multi-goal performance, but was unable to overcome the power differential.