Korean media: Another South Korean star has made Guardiola unforgettable
According to Korean media reports, South Korean player "Hwang In-beom scored his maiden goal against Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) and performed well.
On the 14th Korean time, in the 6th match of the 2023-2024 Champions League group stage held at the Ikomitic Stadium in Belgradera, Serbia, the Red Star team lost to Manchester City 2-3.
Hwang In-beom, who started today, played the full 90 minutes, scoring in the 31st minute of the second half and assisting Alexander Katai for a goal in second-half extra-time.
In today's game, Manchester City ruled out a number of key players as the group winners have already been confirmed to advance to the round of 16. The offensive line is mostly rookies and rotation resources. On the other hand, the Red Stars have no chance of rising to third place even if they beat Manchester City, but they have formed an elite starting lineup that includes Hwang In-beom.
Hwang In-beom started the day and has featured in all six group games that the Red Star have played in this season, leading the way to stardom. On this day, he played well against Manchester City, scoring one goal and providing one assist, while also creating five chances, three successful duels and two interceptions.
Hwang In-beom's goal against Manchester City showed high expectations when he joined the Red Star and he felt a little better about ending a disappointing Champions League campaign.
After Hwang In-beom joined the Red Star team in September last year, he received a lot of attention in an interview. Hwang In-beom said that the Champions League was the biggest reason for the transfer to Red Star. 'The Champions League is a big reason why I'm here. We all want to play the best in the world," he insisted, "and I'm ready to play for Red Star with my teammates and introduce myself to the fans." ”
Regarding the teams he will face in the Champions League group stage, he said: "There is no easy group in the Champions League group stage. We are a good team and we are very happy to play against a big European club like Manchester City. "I'm not afraid of anyone. I think we can beat anyone in Group G. He said with confidence.
Hwang revealed that he asked Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur) and Hwang Hee-chan (Wolves), who are active in the Premier League, about Manchester City. 'I asked him about Manchester City and they said everybody has to be ready to run for 90 minutes. That's what I can do," he said.
Although Hwang In-bum ended his Champions League performance, he kept his promise to the fans and played an important role against Manchester City.
Coach Pep Guardiola has allowed South Korean players to score goals several times this season, and he is at risk of developing a phobia of "Korean players". Pep Guardiola doesn't remember Hwang Hee-chan's name, calling him a 'Korean guy' in his pre-match press conference against Wolves in the league this season, but Hwang Hee-chan scored a dramatic comeback goal against Manchester City.
In the game against Tottenham Hotspur, he was hit hard by another Premier League player, South Korean Son Heung-min. Son Heung-min is the face of the "Manchester City killer", scoring seven goals and providing three assists against Manchester City. As soon as the game began, Son Heung-min began to score. After receiving a long pass from Brian Hill, Son Heung-min broke through his opponent's camp with explosive speed. After breaking through Jeremy Doku's defence, he scored with a powerful right-footed shot. Although an own goal followed, Son Heung-min assisted in the equaliser in the 24th minute of the second half when Tottenham were 2-1 down to help his side draw with Manchester City. Coach Pep Guardiola, who could have scored three points, only scored one point under Son Heung-min's performance.
Following Hwang Hee-chan and Son Heung-min, Hwang In-beom's performances against Pep Guardiola and Manchester City have made the performance of the Korean youngster etched in the memory of Guardiola's manager.