Korea's third ever! Hwang In-beom on "one goal, one assist in a single World Cup match": "I can't believe it... I was even mocked" [Report from Guadalajara]

*This content was translated by AI.

A historic moment for the South Korean national football team. Midfield commander Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord) led Hong Myung-bo's squad to a stunning comeback victory against Czechia in their opening group stage match with a one-man show of one goal and one assist.

On the 12th at 11 a.m. (Korea time), Hong's team overcame an early second-half goal against Czechia at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, Mexico, and secured a 2-1 victory thanks to Hwang In-beom's equalizer and Oh Hyeon-gyu (Besiktas)'s go-ahead goal in the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup Group A first-round match.

Hwang In-beom's achievement will be deeply etched in the history of Korean football. He became the third player in South Korea's World Cup finals history to record one goal and one assist in a single match, following Choi Soon-ho's feat against Italy in 1986 and then-head coach Hong Myung-bo's against Spain in 1994.

He was the true hero of the day. Korea trailed 0-1 after Radislav Krejci (Wolverhampton Wanderers) scored the opening goal in the 14th minute of the second half. In the 22nd minute, Hwang In-beom burst into space, completely dismantling Czechia's defense and perfectly deceiving goalkeeper Matej Kovar with a right-footed chip shot to level the score. Later, in the 35th minute, he delivered a precise cross to set up Oh Hyeon-gyu's go-ahead winning goal, earning him the match's most valuable player award.

After the match, Hwang In-beom met with reporters in the mixed zone and first reflected on his spectacular equalizing goal. He said, "I'm not really used to facing goalkeepers one-on-one," but added, "I found space and made a run. Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) made an excellent pass. I judged that the goalkeeper was too tall and the angle was too narrow to shoot directly, so I decided to fake a shot first. Fortunately, the opposing defenders and goalkeeper fell for the move."

He continued, "It's a moment I can't believe I could score such a goal on the World Cup stage, yet I am incredibly proud."

The goal, scored after overcoming the pain of past injuries, carried even deeper emotion. Hwang In-beom said, "Even with injury management, it's incredibly unlucky to get injured like this. I was particularly disappointed about the injury I suffered in March." He added, "In a way, I think it was a grateful time that helped me get my physical condition back in shape before the World Cup. From now on, I want to play the football I love happily for a long time without any injuries."

In the mixed zone that day, Hwang In-beom repeatedly emphasized the team's spirit. He joked, "Even though I'm not a player accustomed to scoring, my teammates often teased me for shooting too much during training. I'm glad I was able to show them today with a goal."

Regarding the locker room atmosphere, he said, "Everyone congratulated me and thanked me with one heart, and I felt deeply grateful to my teammates as well." He added, "Not only the players who took the field, but even those who didn't play cheered for me with one heart and one mind until the end when I was substituted. Seeing that reminded me of the team spirit I felt during the Qatar World Cup. That's why I'm even more excited for the remaining matches."

On the scene where he celebrated with Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in, and Baek Seung-ho immediately after scoring, he added, "We encouraged each other and exchanged the will to say, 'We can do this.'"

Hwang In-beom also said, "I'm not a player accustomed to scoring," laughing, "After returning from injury, I tried to raise my own value. I did a lot of shooting training, and my teammates even mocked me, telling me to just pass. I'm glad I was able to show my ability today."

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*This content was translated by AI.