Hwang In-beom, who returned to the "Hong Myung-bo Engine", said, "I heard the calf injury lasts long..."I'll make everyone smile in June"

Hwang In-beom, who returned to the "Hong Myung-bo Engine", said, "I heard the calf injury lasts long..."I'll make everyone smile in June"

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Hwang In-beom, the "engine" of the national soccer team, is back. He is still suffering from injuries, but he vowed to bring the desired results with better performance in the upcoming A-match in June.

The South Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, drew 1-1 at home against Jordan in Group B of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup at Suwon World Cup Stadium on the 25th.

Hong Myung-bo has found the outcome regrettable. The team sought to secure early advancement to the World Cup finals by garnering two consecutive wins at the two home games that will lead to Oman and Jordan, but ended up with two draws (two points), putting it off to the next round. So far, the team has four wins and four draws (16 points) in the third round of the preliminary round. It remains undefeated, maintaining its lead in the group.

Jordan and Iraq, which are considered the most difficult teams in Group B, have been chasing each other, but they took a breather. As third-ranked Iraq suffered a 1-2 come-from-behind loss to the Palestinians in the match on Wednesday, Team Hong Myung-bo will be able to confirm its move to North Korea, China and the U.S. if it secures 30 points in the future.
Currently, South Korea ranks first with four wins and four draws (16 points), Jordan ranks second with three wins, four draws and one loss (13 points), and Iraq is on the list of three wins, three draws and two losses (12 points). Hong Myung-bo's draw against Jordan rather widened the gap by one point.

Hwang In-beom's return is the biggest comfort in the match against Jordan. He failed to play properly in his team Feyenoord due to a calf injury in December last year. Then, he returned to his team ahead of an A-match in March. He joined the national team normally and focused on boosting his performance. After being given a break at the match against Oman on Tuesday, he started in the match against Jordan.

Hwang In-beom's return changed the frustrating trend in the midfield against Oman. In the match against Jordan, Hwang's long pass aimed at the opponent's back space and increased the proportion of attacks that saved the second line's speed. On top of that, Hwang also aimed for the goal himself with a bold left-footed mid-range shot not long after the start of the game.
Hwang was substituted at 35 minutes into the second half on the day. He is not in his normal physical condition. "I had continuous discussions with my team about his physical condition," Hong said at a press conference on the eve of the match. "Players themselves are very determined to participate. However, there will be a time when it is time for him to take care of himself," he said, signaling that he has limited time to participate.

I spent more time on the field than I expected. "I was planning to let him play for about 70 minutes, but he himself said he could play more," Hong said after the game. "I made the decision after communicating continuously during the game."

After the match, Hwang met at the joint coverage area (Mix Zone) and expressed regret that he failed to keep his first goal and ended up with a draw. "I wanted to score six points, but I'm sad that I could only get two points. We made many good scenes and had many positive aspects in the match. Unfortunately, however, we lost a point and failed to win because we could not take advantage of our chances," he said.
"We 안전놀이터 still have two more games to go. I don't think we need to let the mood drop. If we play well in the remaining games in June, I think we will be able to go where we aim for sure. I had a conversation with the players about this," he said.

On his injury condition, Hwang said, "I had some discomfort when I returned home. I was told that I have to carry it with me for a long time. I am not in pain. I took care of it while resting for the first game, and although I ran more than expected today, I was fine. However, I am not in perfect condition yet. So I asked for a replacement. If I return to my team and continue to play, I think (my physical condition and performance) will improve further. When I come back in June, I think I will have to work harder to show better performances," he vowed.