Korean youngster scores directly from a corner! From 0-2 deficit to fierce attack but narrowly losing, Xi'an Sports School remains unsatisfied

Han Bing reporting from Dingnan On the 4th day of the "462" Cup inaugural China-Korea Youth Football Elite Challenge, a goal considered the best so far was produced. At the 15th minute, Seongnam FC won a left corner kick, and captain number 27, Kang Han-hwi, curled the ball directly into the far post. This was the first direct corner goal in the history of the China-Korea Challenge.

This immediately ignited the fighting spirit of the Xi'an Sports School squad. Although trailing 0-2 at halftime, Xi'an Sports School switched tactics and launched a strong offensive in the second half, creating multiple clear scoring chances. Unfortunately, only number 45, Hu Yueheng, capitalized on the sole mistake by Seongnam’s goalkeeper Kim Woo-sik, scoring a goal. The match ended in a narrow 1-2 defeat.

After the match, the young players from Xi'an Sports School were very regretful. They believed that if they had converted any of the other clear scoring opportunities, the outcome could have been different. Defeated by Seongnam FC’s corner kick goal, hailed as the best of the tournament, the Xi'an players felt not only disappointment but also a strong sense of dissatisfaction.

Seongnam FC, riding a three-game winning streak, clearly had the upper hand in strength. Xi'an Sports School played more conservatively in the first half and was dominated on the field. Seongnam’s attack was skillfully organized through the center and then spread to the wings to create chances, putting great pressure on Xi'an’s defense. At the 15th minute, Seongnam captain Kang Han-hwi first scored directly from a corner kick, then doubled his tally by converting a penalty at the 31st minute, and the match seemed to be heading towards a large margin victory for Seongnam FC.

However, in the second half, Xi'an Sports School’s head coach Liu Yibing decisively changed the formation, instructing the central defenders and defensive midfielders to push forward actively and increase full-force attacks upfront, especially applying high pressing on Seongnam FC’s defense. The determined Xi'an team created numerous clear chances, with goalkeeper Kim Woo-sik becoming Seongnam’s busiest man in the later stages. Kim made multiple high saves and flying blocks to prevent danger, notably stopping three certain goal attempts from Xi'an at the 26th minute.

At the 27th minute, Xi'an Sports School finally forced an error from the outstanding goalkeeper Kim Woo-sik through intense pressing in the penalty area. Kim’s sideways pass mistake allowed the ball to fall to Wang Fuxing, who passed it to Hu Yueheng to score into an empty net, pulling one back. Xi'an then increased their offensive pressure, but unfortunately failed to solve their finishing problems in front of goal, losing narrowly 1-2. After the match, the young players’ regret was apparent, having wasted many scoring chances and coming so close to the joy of defeating a Korean team.

After the game, Xi'an Sports School’s head coach Liu Yibing commented that although it was regrettable not to convert more chances and secure a win, the process was more important than the result: “In this China-Korea challenge, I hoped to see the children’s progress against strong Korean teams. Over four days of matches, several players showed clear improvement. Seongnam is the top-ranked team in the tournament, and to create more scoring chances despite being 0-2 down shows the players’ fighting spirit, which deserves praise and recognition. But we must also acknowledge that compared to Seongnam, our finishing ability near goal still needs significant improvement. Against strong teams, opponents won’t give you much time to think about shooting. This is what the team is constantly working on.”

It is worth mentioning that Xi'an Sports School’s free-kick attacks were also impressive. In the third round against Shenzhen Xinpengcheng, Xi'an scored directly from free kicks by number 56 Zhang Chenghao and number 24 Tang Xu. Furthermore, the two Korean teams faced in the first phase, Seongnam FC and Incheon United, ranked first and second respectively, both conceded goals to Xi'an, making Xi'an the first Chinese team to score in both matches against Korean teams. However, coach Liu Yibing values most how players improve their match ability and quick decision-making when facing strong opponents. Poor finishing reflects a lack in these two abilities: “Tonight I will gather all players for a review session, not to analyze ourselves but to learn from Seongnam FC’s playing style and their mature match skills. Missing opportunities is regrettable, and I see the players are dissatisfied too, but the most important thing is to improve quickly and learn from the strengths of our opponents.”