Legends Kick Off SPL Veteran Golden Cup with Solid 2-0 Win Over Scotland

Last Sunday brought perfect football weather in Shanghai — clear blue skies and 21°C — as the Lions Legends faced Scotland on the beautiful green grass at Wellington School. Despite missing our regular goalkeeper, FL kindly stepped in to wear the gloves for this 1st game of SPL V Golden Cup.

Scotland came out strong in the first 20 minutes, pushing balls behind our defense and winning a few corners, but we held firm. We were slow to build up and struggled against their physical defenders — until our left-back Seungbok, also the first Korean player in Lions history, launched a stunning long-range strike into the bottom right corner to give us a 1-0 lead.

In the second 20 minutes, we seemed to lose our urgency. We played without conviction and didn’t register a single shot on target, allowing Scotland to wait patiently for a counter-attack opportunity.

The coaching staff gave us a needed wake-up call before the third 20-minute period, and the change was immediate. Cyril came close with a rocket shot that was saved at the last second, and Hira-san had a goal disallowed for offside. Scotland had one scare for us, breaking through on goal, but fortunately, their shot missed wide.

In the final 20 minutes, we decided to push for a second goal rather than sit back. The move paid off: from a play that started at our goalkeeper, the ball went through Jaylen, Germain, Hira-san, and Cyril before Pierre finished the move with a low strike — a fantastic team goal!