Hwang In-beom's 'Hot Feet'… Aiming for Victory with 'Team Spirit'

[Anchor]

Mexico, our next opponent, is a stronger team than the Czech Republic, boasting intense pressure and rapid transitions between offense and defense. This makes the role of our 'midfield commander' Hwang In-beom, who led us to victory against the Czech Republic with smart gameplay, even more critical. Hwang emphasized 'team spirit' above all else.

Here is reporter Hong Seok-jun.

[Reporter]

Hwang In-beom has firmly established himself as an ace through the first match against the Czech Republic.

He scored his debut World Cup goal with a sensational chip shot.

[Hwang In-beom/National Football Team Midfielder: You rarely find yourself in a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper. I think it just came out instinctively because I was a bit flustered.]

He also became the key to victory by assisting Oh Hyeon-gyu’s comeback goal with a precise cross following a run into the space behind the defense.

[Hwang In-beom/National Football Team Midfielder: I thought a lot about what I needed to do to raise my own value, and I'm relieved that I was able to show that to the older players and my teammates.]

In his second World Cup appearance, he dominated the midfield with much smarter and more composed play, delivering a team-high 70 accurate passes. His performance earned him a spot as the only Asian player in the Best 11 for the opening round of the eight groups selected by international media.

Hwang expressed full confidence, stating that the impact of the first-round victory was beyond expectations.

[Hwang In-beom/National Football Team Midfielder: I think we now have a 'team spirit' where we believe we can do it, no matter which team we face.]

He is thoroughly analyzing the strengths of Mexico, our second-round opponent, which is stronger than the Czech Republic, and preparing a strategy to take them on.

To counter Mexico, which presses hard on defense and has fullbacks who actively join counterattacks, Hwang plans to focus on holding the ball in the midfield and opening up space behind the defense with penetrating passes.

[Hwang In-beom/National Football Team Midfielder: Everyone has the belief that we can play a game where we showcase our strengths while effectively neutralizing the opponent's strengths, which makes me look forward to the next match even more.]

(Reported by Hwang In-seok | Video by Park Gi-deok | Graphics by Choi Ha-neul)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.