Sports inspiration overcomes war wounds!
The Ukraine U18 National Team came from behind to beat Morocco 4-3 at the inaugural Seoul EOU Cup U-18 International Youth Tournament 2023 at Mokdongju Stadium in Seoul, South Korea, on Friday afternoon.
After falling behind 0-2, Ukraine scored a late goal to win the match 4-3. Ukraine’s strong, physical style of soccer prevailed over Morocco’s fast-paced, technical game.
Both teams fielded starting lineups with players who were in good shape for the win. Morocco was led in attack by Zabiri Yassir (#21) and Dahak Mouad (#7), who both scored hat tricks in their first match against Vietnam. Ukraine was led up front by Kremchanin Dmytrii (#7) and Ponomarenko Matvii (#10), who scored two goals in their last match.
The early stages of the match went Morocco’s way. After dominating possession through the first five minutes, Morocco opened the scoring in the seventh minute when Jabir Yassir scored off an assist from Dahaq Muad. Jabir Yassir’s fourth goal of the tournament. Morocco took another step forward. In the 20th minute of the first half, Dahaq Muad scored again, this time off a Zabir Yassir assist. The goal was a great example of the great chemistry between the two players. Morocco’s momentum, fueled by about 50 Moroccan expatriates, was impressive.
In the 23rd minute, Ukraine’s captain Balaba Nazar (#3) scored the game-winner when he knocked in a loose ball from a corner kick. Ukraine’s concentration was outstanding. First half extra time again
Another corner kick opportunity and Mykhavko Taras, #14, finished with a header.
With both teams trading goals in the first half, the early stages of the second half belonged to Ukraine. They pressed hard up front and created a number of scoring chances, and #10 Ponomarenko Matvii broke the deadlock three minutes into the second half.
Morocco made a change to their attacking lineup with Atletico Madrid No. 10 Bensaad Adnane coming on as a substitute. However, Ukraine’s constant forward pressure made life difficult for their defense and earned a penalty kick in the 34th minute when speedy No. 5 Mykytiuk Yevhenii was brought down by a defender in the penalty box. Ponomarenko Matvii calmly converted to widen the gap to 4-2.
Morocco then went on the attack. They pulled up their defense and kept pounding on the Ukrainian goal, and in the 38th minute, Ghalidi Brahim (#17) made it 4-3 with an exquisite shot to the bottom right corner. No further goals were scored and the game ended with a final score of 4-3 in favor of Ukraine.안전놀이터
With a 2-1 record in the tournament, Ukraine moved to the top of the group with six points. The winner will be determined by the outcome of the match between South Korea (3 points) and Vietnam at 16:00.
The inaugural Seoul EOU Cup U-18 International Youth Tournament 2023 (Seoul EOU Cup) concluded its first day of play on Tuesday.
The name of the tournament, EOU, stands for ‘EARTH ON US’ and means ‘Earth and Community’. With the slogan “ALL LIFE ON EARTH DEPENDS ON US,” the tournament aims to promote the importance of a sustainable planet through soccer. The World Wide Fund for Nature, WWF, will be on hand to encourage the use of public transportation and multi-use containers, and various activities such as environmental donation campaigns will be held at the tournament site.
The Seoul EOU Cup is co-organized by the Seoul Football Association and the Korea Sports Agents Association, co-organized by the Seoul Sports Federation and the Korea Sports Agents Association, and sponsored by Seoul Metropolitan Government, Shinhan Bank, Hyundai Motor Company, Adidas, ECHWai (hy), the Korea Sports Promotion Agency, and Righteous Seoul Hospital, with WWF Korea as a partner.