The inaugural China-Korea Youth Football Challenge concluded: Evergrande Football School comes from behind to claim the championship, showcasing the continued strength of Evergrande's youth training.

Reporter Chen Yong reporting from Dingnan, Jiangxi On January 19, the final day of the “462 Cup” first China-Korea Youth Football Challenge concluded with Evergrande Football School beating Yongin FC 3-0, and Incheon United falling 2-4 to Wuhan Three Towns. Evergrande Football School ultimately clinched the championship by a 2-point margin over Korea’s Incheon United, who took second place. Shanghai Port earned third place after a 5-4 penalty shootout win against Seongnam FC.

In this China-Korea youth training challenge, the two countries’ teams faced off in a total of 32 matches, with Korean teams winning 20 and losing 12.

“The match against Evergrande Football School was what I was most satisfied with in this tournament. It ended in a 4-4 draw and went to penalties. The players have been discussing that game for a long time,” said Incheon United head coach Mídál Park.

With Shandong Taishan absent from this China-Korea Youth Football Elite Challenge due to their national youth team call-ups, Evergrande Football School took on the role of the clear leader in the event. They lived up to expectations, coming back from a 1-4 deficit against Incheon United to equalize, then overturning a 0-1 halftime deficit to score four goals in the second half against Seongnam FC for a big win. In a strong domestic clash, Evergrande Football School defeated Wuhan Three Towns 4-2. Later, Wuhan Three Towns handed Incheon United their first loss in the tournament. Ultimately, Evergrande Football School emerged as the champions of this China-Korea Challenge.

Although this China-Korea Challenge mainly focused on exchanges between the two countries rather than a full tournament format, with Korean teams continuously facing strong Chinese opponents and thus facing greater rotation pressure, while Chinese teams had clearer differences in opponent strength allowing easier rotation, Evergrande’s championship still demonstrated the deep foundation of their youth training system.

Evergrande Football School originally belonged to Guangzhou Evergrande’s professional youth training system, established in 2012. After a decade of development, outstanding football talents began to emerge over the past three to four years. For example, the 2008 age group national youth team was mainly composed of players from Evergrande Football School and Shandong Luneng Football School. In early 2025, Guangzhou team withdrew from professional football, but the Chinese Football Association still specially invited Evergrande Football School to participate in professional club competitions. In 2025, Evergrande Football School won the men’s U13 championship at the China Youth League, as well as the U15 and U17 Elite League titles organized by the CFA.

Evergrande Football School has consistently employed Spanish coaches, adopting a style closer to the traditional Spanish approach characterized by expansive, robust play. The entire team features players with excellent physical fitness, willing to engage in physical challenges, precise long passes and quick transitions, and very sharp attacking power on the flanks.

After securing the championship, Evergrande Football School expressed great satisfaction with the developmental value the tournament provided. Throughout the competition, their technical analysis team continuously tracked matches and conducted comprehensive video reviews to further improve training and performance levels. Over ten players’ parents were present throughout the event, cheering enthusiastically for Evergrande Football School.

As Evergrande Football School celebrated on the winner’s podium, their team bus also arrived at the Dingnan National Youth Football Training Center. After the China-Korea Challenge, they will return to Evergrande Football School and then play two matches against the U15 national selection team led by Zhou Haibin, as well as compete with various youth teams participating in winter training at Evergrande Football School.

In other matches this round, Henan drew 1-1 with Guizhou Football Association in regular time but won 6-5 on penalties; Dingnan Dream was defeated 2-5 by Chengdu Football Association; HSFA Huacheng beat Xi’an Sports School 3-2; Ganzhou Football Youth Training Center won 3-1 against Shenzhen Xinpengcheng; Zhejiang FC edged Guangdong Mingtou 1-0.

Regarding individual stats, Evergrande Football School’s Zhang Chenshuo (11 goals), Wuhan Three Towns’ Zhao Cenrui (9 goals), and Seongnam FC’s Kim Jae-woo (9 goals including 1 penalty) ranked top three on the scorer list, while Incheon United’s Kim Ha-ram was named the tournament’s best player.