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[Sports Seoul | Salt Lake City = Reporter Kim Yong-il] One clear takeaway from South Korea’s friendly against Trinidad and Tobago was the return to form of “Korean Zidane” Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord).
Hwang came on in the 62nd minute—replacing Lee Han-beom—and logged roughly 30 minutes in South Korea’s 5–0 victory at Brigham Young University’s South Field in Provo, Utah, on May 31 (Korean time).
He suffered consecutive Achilles and calf injuries last year and was moving back toward fitness earlier this year. In March, though, he damaged ligaments in his right ankle during a club match and missed Hong Myung-bo’s two-game European trip. Many doubted he could handle the early World Cup group-stage schedule even if he made the squad. Still, he pushed through rehab at home in Korea and returned to competitive action sooner than expected.
He played only 30 minutes, but his influence was immediate. In the 65th minute, with Korea up 2–0, Hwang picked out Lee Dong-gyeong down the right with a trademark incisive pass from midfield. Lee’s left-foot out-front cross then found Cho Kyu-sung, who nodded the ball home.
Beyond the assist that set up the insurance goal, Hwang controlled the tempo of the midfield with split-second timing, underlining his status as an irreplaceable piece. Hong praised him after the match, saying, “His control in midfield is on another level—no one can match it.”
Hwang said, “Those 30 minutes were valuable for getting my feel back. Now that I’ve loosened up, it should help me prepare for the next game.”
Another storyline from the match was the search for Hwang’s midfield partner—a running theme for Hong. With traditional defensive midfielders who’ve long partnered Hwang, like Park Yong-woo and Won Du-jae, sidelined by injury last year, Hong experimented by pairing Hwang with veteran Lee Jae-sung (Mainz) against Trinidad.
While Lee usually lines up as a left-sided attacker or shadow striker for the national team, he has experience playing in midfield for Mainz. He covers a lot of ground, contributes defensively, and will drop back to the third line to do the dirty work. With mobility set to be a crucial factor at the finals, Hong figures maximizing Lee’s strengths could help stabilize Korea’s midfield.
Lee came on at the start of the second half and played 45 minutes. He completed 91% of his passes (51 of 56) and made three ball recoveries while defending—solid contributions overall. Hwang added, “It’s the first time I’ve started alongside Jae-sung in midfield, but we’ve played many games together for the national team over the past eight to nine years. He helps teammates and makes things easy. We know how to move without saying anything.”
If Hwang’s passing and control combines with Lee’s engine and European experience, the duo could give Hong’s side a new midfield pulse. The pair will get one more chance to prove themselves in the final friendly against El Salvador on the 4th. kyi0486@sportsseoul.com
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