Hwang In-beom, who made his debut in a Feyenoord uniform, received good reviews despite his team's crushing defeat.
Feyenoord was defeated 0-4 by Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League phase at 1:45 a.m. on the 20th (Korea Standard Time) in Stadion Feyenoord, located in Feyenoord, Netherlands.
Hwang was Serbia's best midfielder last season. He won the title at the Serbian Super Liga and the Serbian Cup. Notably, Hwang helped the winning goal in the final match of the Serbian Cup, contributing greatly to his victory.
According to the soccer statistics media Sofa Score, Hwang In-beom dominated the midfield last season with an average pass success rate of 88%, 2.3 key passes per game, and 11 decisive opportunities created in the league. After the end of the season, he was selected as the best player in the 2023-24 season by each team captain and coach in the league.
Ahead of this summer's transfer market, there were reports that Hwang In-beom could be transferred. However, no clear destination was mentioned. As the end of the transfer market approached, Hwang In-beom was expected to remain.
At the end of the transfer window, the mood rapidly changed. After leading Zvezda to advance to the finals in the second round of the 2024-2025 UCL playoffs, Hwang shed tears in front of his fans. "I don't know if I will stay. I have time before the transfer window closes. I will see what happens," Hwang said, hinting at his move.
Eventually, Hwang joined Feyenoord in the Netherlands at the end of the transfer window. According to local media in the Netherlands, Feyenoord paid more than 15 billion won (approx. This is the highest transfer fee ever paid by the club.
Hwang In-beom signed a four-year contract with Feyenoord on the 3rd and was given the number 4. However, he failed to make his debut due to the delay in the residence and employment permit process. This was why he was excluded from the list of away games in the fifth round of the Eredivisie in the Netherlands.
With all procedures resolved, Hwang can now play as Feyenoord player. Coach Feyenoord Brian Friske immediately put Hwang in the starting lineup.
Despite his team's crushing defeat, Hwang played both sides of offense and defense, including 82 percent (51/62), 10 passes in offensive areas, five recoveries, and 100 percent (2/2) in aerial competition. "Foot Mob" gave him a 6.7 rating. He was the highest among Feyenoord players.
After the game, Friske praised Hwang In-beom. He said, "Even though I didn't have much time to train with other players, I played well. Especially in the second half, I did really well."
"Hwang has the qualities and experience that I mentioned before the game. He has played at various levels and in many leagues around the world. We all confirmed that experience and quality today," Friske said.
Meanwhile, Hwang In-beom said, "I thought it would be a difficult game, but I can't play like this at home. We need to analyze this game well because we have more games to perform well in the future." 메이저사이트
Hwang In-beom said, "I gave the ball away too easily. You shouldn't do that at this level. I also had to make better use of my chances. We can't lament this game for too long because we still have many important games to play."
"It was hard, but I'm happy to make my debut in front of fantastic fans. I'm sorry to the fans who came here, but I'll show better performances and more plays as a team in the future," he said.