The inaugural China-Korea University Football Challenge, participated by teams from China and the Republic of Korea (KOR), took place with phenomenal success from August 8th to 11th in Yancheng, a mid-eastern city of Jiangsu Province in east coastal China. Two strong male university teams respectively from each country, i.e. Nanjing University and Yanbian University in China, Honam University and Saekyung College in the Republic of Korea, competed together for this significant event.
The competitions kicked off after the Opening Ceremony on August 8th, which was attended by Mr. Wang Gang, FUSC Senior Vice President, Mr. Jang Jea Hun, Head of KOR delegation, Mr. Zou Yishi, Vice Mayor of Yancheng City, as well as other senior authorities locally. Mr. Wang Gang conveyed warm welcome and greetings to all the participants and highlighted the significance of China-Korea youth exchange. In his address, Mr. Jang Jea Hun expressed sincere gratitude to FUSC and LOC for their invitation and dedication. The ceremony was concluded when Mr. Zou Yishi announced the opening of the event and accompanied by unique cultural programs like drum performance, Taiji Boxing, etc.
After an interesting 90 minutes, the match between Nanjing and Saekyung ended up with a draw in 1:1, while the former defeated the latter on penalties with the score of 6:5. On the other field, the game between Honam and Yanbian was dominated by the Koreans who outclassed the Chinese with a 5:1 victory.
In the 2nd Round on August 9th, Honam had a stellar performance versus Nanjing in the final, with two consecutive goals in 58th and 62nd minutes, assisting Honam to take home the gold medal with the score of 2:1 and 6 points earned from two Rounds. In the Yanbian’s final with Saekyung, the title of the 1st runner-up went to the Saekyung College which won an exciting score of 2:0 and on goal difference better than the two Chinese teams. With the end of the final game, the Awarding Ceremony was held with medals and trophies presented to all the participating teams.
