He’s Korea Republic’s pass master and he’s promised to bring the energy in the quarter-finals of the AFC Asian Cup when his weary nation faces Australia in Doha on Friday evening.
Second only to Australia’s Harry Souttar in terms of passes played at the tournament, Hwang In-beom is Korea’s midfield metronome, the silent conductor in the centre of the pitch that threads together attack and defence.
While Son Heung-min directly in front of him, Lee Kang-in off to the right and Kim Min-jae just behind grab most of the headlines, Hwang goes quietly, yet tirelessly, about his work buzzing left to right and up and down the pitch.
It says a fair amount about the understated manner in which the 27-year-old goes about his work that one of the first search items when you punch in ‘Hwang In-beom’ is ‘who is the Korean guy at Olympiacos?’
All a bit odd really for a player who moved from the Greek side some five months ago to Red Star Belgrade for a reported club record transfer fee of €5 million.
Slight of frame he may be but that matters little given superb technical qualities, vision and accuracy in his passing and exceptional stamina that sees him racing all across the pitch to cut off passing lines and restrict space.
More than ever it’s that energy that will be needed as the final three matches approach for a Korean side that will enter the quarter-finals with barely a two-day turnaround.
As Hwang told The Asian Game ahead of that clash, as taxing as his role may be, he knows no other way to play.
“The Round of 16 match against Saudi Arabia was really tough physically but that’s where my strengths lay.
“I always try to connect our team from the defensive line to the attacking line and even if I feel really tired and can’t run I need to try and show my qualities and put everything on the line, firstly for myself and my family, then my teammates and also, importantly, for fans in Korea and in the stadium.
“As tired as I am, I know that the next game I will run even more because this will be the most important match once again and we want to keep making people proud of us.”
If Korea are to end their 64-year hoodoo at the tournament there’s a sense that the Australia clash may be a pivotal one.
Win this match and a far more manageable fixture against either Jordan or Tajikistan awaits and then it’s the final, but Hwang is conscious not to look too far ahead as Korea prepares to clash with what he termed a ‘difficult’ Australian side.
“It’s going to be a really tough match,” he said.
“I’ve watched a little bit of Australia at this tournament and we know that they are strong physically and aggressive in their defensive line but every team has a weak point – we also have – and so we need to analyse things calmly.
“It doesn’t matter if we play after three days and they are after five days, that doesn’t matter. The most important thing is to be ready mentally and we hope we can play a good game.”
Photos: Korea Football Association
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