South Korea national soccer team midfielder and “Son of Daejeon” Hwang In-beom (Olympiacos) has expressed his gratitude and apologies to the fans of Daejeon.
Hwang In-bum started and played the full match against El Salvador in a 1-1 friendly at the Daejeon World Cup Stadium on Tuesday.
The Korean national soccer team took the lead in the third minute of the second half through Hwang’s goal, but conceded an equalizer on a set piece in the final minute of the match, narrowly missing out on victory.
“We talked a lot about concentrating on set-piece situations, but it’s unfortunate that we lost concentration on the set-piece and conceded a goal while we were winning,” said Hwang In-beom in the post-match mixer.
“The most regrettable thing is that we lost in Busan, but today, despite the rain, the fans supported us until the end of the game, and we couldn’t reciprocate,” he said, expressing his apologies to the fans.
On this day, many fans welcomed Hwang In-bum back to Daejeon. Born and raised in Daejeon, Hwang In-bum made his professional debut with Daejeon Citizen (now Daejeon Hana Citizen) and became a representative soccer player of Daejeon.
Some fans brought signs that read “Son of Daejeon,” and even when the lineup was introduced before the game, Hwang In-bum was referred to as “Son of Daejeon.
In response, Hwang expressed his gratitude, saying, “Every time I come to Daejeon, the people of Daejeon always welcome me, so I am grateful.”
“We played at the Daejeon World Cup Stadium for the first time in a year after last year, so we wanted to win, so we worked hard, but we didn’t get the result,” he said.
The Korean national team last played a friendly A match against Chile at the Daejeon World Cup Stadium on June 6 last year. The team won 2-0 thanks to a stunning free kick from Son Heung-min, who was playing in his 100th A match. 안전놀이터
After failing to win in Daejeon after a year away, Hwang In-bum vowed, “If I have a chance to come back to Daejeon next time, I will do a better job and bring smiles to the people of Daejeon.”