'Only Survivor in Asia' Hwang In-beom Named to World Cup Group Stage Midpoint Best 11

*This content was translated by AI.

Hwang In-beom (30, Feyenoord), the key figure in South Korea's victory over Czechia in the 2026 FIFA North America World Cup, has been named to the group stage A–H first-round midpoint Best 11 selected by a football media outlet.

On the 16th (Korea time), Hwang In-beom was selected as a midfielder in a 4-3-3 formation for the group stage A–H first-round Best 11 chosen by football content media Madfootball.

The media outlet has been selecting and publishing the Best 11 for the first round of each group after the group stage concludes. In Group A, where South Korea is placed, Hwang In-beom was joined by Oh Hyeon-gyu (Besiktas JK), Lee Tae-seok (Austria Wien), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), and Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) on the list.

As the first-round matches of other groups continued to conclude, names of South Korean players were gradually removed from the 'Integrated Best 11' while other players were added, yet Hwang In-beom alone from Korea managed to remain on the list.

Notably, in this tournament, not only South Korea but also Australia defeated Turkey 2-0, and Japan drew 2-2 with the Netherlands, drawing global attention to the undefeated streak of Asian teams in the tournament (2 wins, 4 draws). However, the fact that Hwang In-beom of South Korea is the only player from Asia to make the Integrated Best 11 is a striking point.

Hwang In-beom, during the group stage A first-round match against Czechia held on the 12th at Guadalajara Stadium in Zapopan, Mexico, scored a crucial equalizing goal when South Korea was trailing 0-1, and later assisted Oh Hyeon-gyu's go-ahead goal in the final moments of the second half, delivering a standout performance with one goal and one assist.

Aside from Hwang In-beom, the midfielders selected for the group stage A–H midpoint Best 11 include Brazil's Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid), USA's Paulinho Balogun (AS Monaco), and Sweden's Alexander Isak (Liverpool).

Additionally, in the midfield, alongside Hwang In-beom, Spain's Pedri (FC Barcelona) and Germany's Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich) were selected.

The defensive line includes Canada's Richie Laryea (Toronto), Netherlands' Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool), Spain's Aymeric Laporte (Athletic Club), and Germany's Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich).

The goalkeeper is Cape Verde's Beto (Shabab), who was the star of the scoreless save display against Spain. The media outlet plans to update and publish the Integrated Best 11 even after the remaining group stage first-round matches conclude.

Meanwhile, the South Korean national football team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, will face host nation Mexico in the group stage second-round match at Guadalajara Stadium on the 19th at 10 a.m.

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*This content was translated by AI.