Zurbena Zvezda's Hwang In-beom played an active role by scoring one goal and one assist against "defending champion" Manchester City.
Zvezda lost 2-3 in the sixth Group G match of the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League against Manchester City at Stadion Raikomitić in Belgrade, Serbia on Sunday. With one draw and five losses, Zvezda finished his UEFA Champions League journey at the bottom of Group G.
Home team Zvezda launched a 4-3-3 formation. The three tops were Peter Olayinka, Sherif Ndiaye and Osman Bukari, and the midfield was formed by Hwang In-beom, Srzan Miyaylovic and Gehlot Kanga. The four backs were Aleksandar Dragovic, Uros Sparich, Naser Ziga and Costa Nedelikovic. The goalkeeper was Ollie Glazer.
Manchester City fought back with a 4-2-3-1 formation. Oscar Bobb was the one-top, while Jack Grealish, Matheus Nunes, and Mika Hamilton established the second line. The third line was Mateo Kovacic, and Kalvin Phillips. The defense was Sergio Gomez, Manuel Akanji, John Stones, and Rico Lewis. The goalkeeper's gloves were worn by Stefan Ortega.
It was Manchester City that scored the first goal. Rico Lewis, who caught the ball from the right side of the penalty box in the 19th minute of the first half, attempted to dribble with one of its defenders in front of him. He drove it to the right and made a powerful right-footed shot. Lewis' shot went straight to the top of the goal. Manchester City took a 1-0 lead.
Zvezda, who was hit first, fought back. In the 27th minute of the first half, Nedelikovich attempted a left foot shot near the right side of the penalty box but it rose high. Manchester City did not back down either. In the 31st minute of the first half, Lewis' shot was blocked by defense. In the 34th minute of the first half, Nunes put his foot on Kovacic's cross but hit the net.
Zvezda tried to balance the game in the first half but failed to score. The first half ended with Manchester City leading 1-0.
In the second half, Manchester City also launched an attack. Hamilton's right footed shot went off to the right at the third minute of the second half. Zvezda also showed strong resistance. Ortega stopped Ndiaye's volley shot after Bukari's cross at the sixth minute of the second half. Ortega also saved Kanga's mid-range shot at the seventh minute of the second half.
Manchester City added a goal. After receiving Lewis' pass in the 17th minute of the second half, Bob dribbled his way through Zvezda's penalty box. Bob hit a left foot shot from the right side of the penalty box. Bob's shot went straight into the net. The score was 2-0.
Zvezda scored a chase goal midway through the second half. Bukari, who caught the ball in the penalty arc area in the 31st minute of the second half, passed it to Hwang In-beom, who was penetrating into the center. Hwang In-beom cut the net with a powerful left-footed shot. Zvezda recovered one goal.
Manchester City allowed Zvezda to score a goal but had a chance to score a goal. Hamilton was fouled by the opposing defender in the penalty box in the 39th minute of the second half. The referee immediately declared a penalty kick. Phillips, who played as a kicker, calmly succeeded, making the score 3-1.
Zvezda added a goal at the end of the second half. Aleksandar Khatai scored a header for Hwang In-beom's corner kick in the 1st minute of extra time in the second half. Khatai's goal widened the gap to one goal, but Zvezda failed to tie the score at the end. The match ended with Zvezda's 2-3 defeat. Zvezda was the lowest in the group and packed up in the European club competition without getting a chance to play in the UEFA Europa League.
Zvezda suffered a bitter defeat by Manchester City, but Hwang In-beom shone. Hwang was involved in all of Zvezda's goal scenes from this match. He scored multiple offensive points, scoring his first goal and assist in the UEFA Champions League.
According to soccer statistics media Sopa Score, Hwang had one shot, one shot on goal, a pass success rate of 80 percent, five key passes, and three ground competition wins in 90 minutes against Manchester City. Sopa Score gave Hwang an 8.4 rating. It was the highest rating among Zvezda players.
Hwang In-beom, who grew up in Daejeon Citizen (currently Daejeon Hana Citizen) in the K League, joined Vancouver Whitecaps in January 2019 and advanced to the overseas stage. He transferred to Rubin Kazan, Russia, in August 2020, about a year later. Hwang In-beom played an active role in Rubin Kazan for two years with six goals and seven assists in 38 official matches, but he rented out at FC Seoul when Russia invaded Ukraine.
Hwang In-beom moved to Olympiacos in Greece in July last year. He became a major resource of his team last season with Olympiacos, scoring five goals and four assists in 40 official matches. Last summer, Hwang asked Olympiacos to transfer to the team in order to advance to the bigger stage. The conflict escalated when Olympiacos got angry, saying, "No player is greater than the team."
Hwang was linked with Borussia Mönchengladbach and Einracht Frankfurt during the summer transfer window, but his transfer was not completed. He thought he would remain at the Olympiacos, but Zvezda reached out at the last minute. Zvezda spent 5.5 million euros to recruit Hwang, the highest fee in the club's history.
Hwang chose to travel to Serbia from Greece. When joining Zvezda, Hwang said, "The reason I came here is because of the Champions League. If you are a player, you want to play in the best competition in the world. I am happy to face big clubs like Manchester City. No one will be afraid in anticipation of the game."
Hwang mentioned what he heard from Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan about Manchester City. "When I asked Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan about Manchester City, they told me that I should be ready to play for 90 minutes nonstop. That's something I can do well," Hwang said. "I am ready to play like a dog to help my team."
Hwang, who moved to the Serbia stage, has had two goals and one assist in 16 matches for Zvezda this season. He also scored his debut goal in the Serbian league recently. In a home game against Mladost Lukani on Saturday, Hwang scored a fantastic shot at 43rd minute in the second half. Hwang's shot hit the post and went into the net.
Hwang In-beom performed impressively in the Champions League against Manchester City and Leipzig. Hwang In-beom started in all of Zvezda's Champions League matches this season. He played 90 minutes in all of his matches except for the first group match against Manchester City. Hwang In-beom is becoming an irreplaceable player in Zvezda.
Hwang In-beom is also an important resource for the Korean national team. Hwang In-beom, who won the gold medal at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, began to make the senior team with this competition. Coach Paulo Bento, who was the head of the national team at the time, gave unlimited trust to Hwang In-beom. There was a period when his skills declined for a while, but Hwang In-beom was reborn as the 'Crown Prince of Bento'.
Hwang made Bento's roster for the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup. He crisscrossed the midfield on his first World Cup stage and took care of the inconveniences for the Korean national team. Thanks to Hwang's performance, the Korean national team ranked second in Group H, making it to the World Cup tournament for the first time in 12 years since the 2010 FIFA South Africa World Cup.
As Zvezda was eliminated from the Champions League, Hwang In-beom will no longer be seen in the Champions League. The European club competition ended unfortunately, but the Serbian league still remains. Zvezda is ranked first in the Serbian league with 14 wins, one draw, and two losses (43 points). Zvezda has won six consecutive Serbian league titles from 2017/18 to 2022/23.
Zvezda is the strongest player in Serbia, having defeated the Serbian league 13 times. If Zvezda continues his current momentum in the league, Hwang In-beom can achieve his first win in Serbia as soon as he moves to the team. Soccer fans are paying keen attention to Hwang In-beom's performance.