The 54th Presidential Geumbaeg in Changnyeong, South Korea, in 2021 was a goal-fest of epic proportions. The tournament, which was won by Seoul Vogo in the final after defeating Pohang Steel in penalty kicks, featured 72 matches and a whopping 333 goals. That’s an average of 4.63 goals per game.
It was analyzed that the COVID-19 pandemic at the time had a big impact on the presidential geumbae, which gave the professional youth teams a chance to compete. Finalists Boyango and Pohang Steel scored 29 goals (7 matches) and 30 goals (6 matches) during the tournament, 토토 respectively.
The 57th Presidential Geumbae, which kicked off in Jecheon, Chungcheongbuk-do, on Aug. 18, also featured a cool relay goal parade to beat the ‘sauna’ heat between the jangmat rains. A total of 187 goals have been scored in 54 games in the tournament’s group stage, which has been played through the 22nd. This already surpasses last year’s total (165 goals in 45 games). This is partly due to the fact that there are seven more teams in the competition this year, bringing the total to 38, but the pace of scoring is also quite high. The tournament is averaging 3.46 goals per game. At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before the tournament surpasses the 200-goal mark for the first time since 2021.
This is thanks to the firepower of the big guns. Defending champions Seoul Yeongdeungpo Gonggo, traditional powerhouse Seoul Voingo, and three-time champions Pyeongtaek Jinwoo FC are among the favorites with solid form, with the latter scoring 19 goals in three matches while conceding just one. Boyango and Yeongdeungpo Gonggo have kept clean sheets while scoring 10 and seven goals, respectively. Gyeonggi Pyongtaek JFC and Seoul Sungshil Go are tied for second with 12 goals apiece.
The top scorer through the group stage is Pyeongtaek Jinwi FC’s Kim Tae-hyung with nine goals. He is not far behind Han Yoo-joon (Gyeonggi Pyeongtaek JFC) and Geum Chan-hyuk (Gyeonggi Anyang Gonggo), who have five goals apiece. Kim will be looking to become the second Pyeongtaek Jinwi FC player to top the scoring charts after Jung Jae-sang (eight goals) at the 2022 tournament.