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The Hwaeppul Cup football tournament was kick-started.

The participating teams have been divided into three groups respectively for men and women to play league matches first. Then the first- and second-placers of each group and two third-placers with higher scores will play on a knockout basis.

This mode of competition, unlike the past ones, has given the relatively weak teams the possibility of entering the knockout competition, and therefore the fight has been very fierce since the first day.

In the men’s event, the teams belonging to Group A for league matches strove to create favourable conditions for advancing to the top eight from the first matches.

The Sobaeksu Team drew attention of experts and fans in the first-day match.

The team has come up with a completely different mode of playing. It was known as a “team using strong-arm tactics” in the past, but this time it has left a strong impression that it “attaches great importance to technique”.

It ran the game flexibly by changing the playing formation during offensive and defence and presented excellent scoring scenes through cooperation between players.

After scoring the opening goal by kicking the ball at a distance of about 25 metres from the opponent’s goal, the team made the second goal by penetrating the opponent’s defence through the well-knit three-person combination and the third goal with a thrilling long-distance shot in first-half stoppage time.

The spectators gave its players enthusiastic applause as they presented spectacular scoring scenes through amazing changes in position and bold shots.

Meanwhile, the Naegohyang Team, which had won the 2025-2026 AFC Women’s Champions League, unfolded excellent playing scenes in the women’s event.

A back of the team, who blocked the Sobaeksu Team’s attack in the midfield, saw the rival team’s goalkeeper coming forward and shot the ball at a distance of about 40 metres to score a point. The Naegohyang succeeded in kicking the ball flying from the right half side at the left side of the goal area into the net in the 68th minute and the ball coming from the left side at the right side of the goal area in the 90th minute.