2015 Hwaebul Cup Explained

Hwaebul Cup
Year:2015
Dates:27 July–28 August 2015
Country:North Korea
Num Teams:14
Defending Champions:April 25
Champions:April 25 (3rd title)
Runner-Up:Kigwancha
Semi-Finalist1:Kyŏnggong'ŏp
Semi-Finalist2:Wŏlmido
Matches:50
Goals:160
Prevseason:2014
Nextseason:2016

The 2015 Hwaebul Cup was the third edition of the Hwaebul Cup (홰불, Torch) celebrating North Korea's Youth Day. The competition was held from 27 July to 28 August 2013, with all matches played at the Rungrado 1st of May Stadium in P'yŏngyang. The competition was arranged in two phases, a group stage followed by a single-elimination play-off semi-finals, and a single-game final.[1]

Group stage

The fourteen teams that took part in the tournament were divided into two groups. Group A included Amrokkang, April 25, Kyŏnggong'ŏp, Myohyangsan, Sŏnbong and two other clubs, whilst Group B included Hwaebul, Kigwancha, Ponghwasan, Wŏlmido and three other clubs.[1]

Group A

Table based on known results. The first- and second-placed teams advanced to the semi-finals. Kyŏnggong'ŏp and April 25 advanced to the semi-finals.[2]

Known results

Group B

Table based on known results. The first- and second-placed teams advanced to the semi-finals. Wŏlmido and Kigwancha advanced to the semi-finals.[2]

Known results

Knock-out stage

Semi-finals

Kyŏnggong'ŏp and April 25 qualified for the semi-finals from Group A, and Wŏlmido and Kigwancha from Group B; the first-place finisher of each group played the second-place team from the other group. Kigwancha held out for a 3–2 win over Kyŏnggong'ŏp to advance to the final, whilst April 25 earned a solid 2–0 victory over Wŏlmido to earn their spot in the final.[2]

Third-place match

Kyŏnggong'ŏp defeated Wŏlmido to secure third place,[2] but the match score is unknown.

Final

Kigwancha and April 25 advanced to the final, which was played at the Rungrado 1st of May Stadium on 28 August. Kigwancha fought hard early on to try to gain the initiative and took an early 1–0 lead, but April 25 soon asserted their dominance, and overwhelmed Kigwancha to win their third straight Hwaebul Cup title with a 5–1 score.[2]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: First-division Hwaeppul Cup goes on . 2018-02-28 . 2018-02-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180228161457/http://www.naenara.com.kp/en/order/pytimes/?page=Sports&no=20745 . dead .
  2. Web site: Hwaeppul Cup premier league finals draw to a close . 2018-02-28 . 2018-02-28 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180228100642/http://www.naenara.com.kp/en/order/pytimes/?page=Sports&no=20800 . dead .