Midfielder not giving up on knockout hope after crushing loss
Korea's Hwang In-beom and Ghana's Mohammed Kudus compete for the ball during the World Cup group H soccer match between Korea and Ghana, at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, Nov. 28. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
Even after suffering a heartbreaking loss that set Korea on a rocky path to the knockout stage at the FIFA World Cup, midfielder Hwang In-beom wasn't yet ready to abandon hope.
In the aftermath of Korea's 3-2 loss to Ghana in Group H action Monday, Hwang recalled the Taegeuk Warriors' dramatic victory over Germany in their final group match at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
Korea's 2-0 shock win over Germany, then defending champions, is celebrated as the "Miracle in Kazan" in the Korean sports annals, named after the city in which the upset took place.
Korea's Hwang In-beom and Ghana's Thomas Partey compete for the ball during the World Cup group H soccer match between Korea and Ghana, at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, Nov. 28. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
"Our World Cup doesn't end here, and our football careers don't end here either," Hwang said at Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, west of Doha. "We all remember what the national team did against Germany in Russia. We know our fans still remember that match too."
Though Korea still failed to progress to the round of 16 four years ago, Hwang's point is clear. Korea will need a similarly miraculous victory against world No. 9 Portugal in their final group match Friday and must also get help from the two other countries in the group, Uruguay and Ghana.
Korea are in third place with one point through two matches. Anything short of a win over Portugal will send Korea home.
"Our preparation for the Portugal match must start right now," said Hwang, who got a bloody head after a collision with a Ghana player in the second half and briefly played with a bandage wrapped around his head.
On losing to Ghana despite creating far more chances than the opposition, Hwang said: "This is football. Hopefully, we'll be more efficient with our opportunities in the next match." (Yonhap)