Korean players playing in the European big leagues had a happy weekend, tasting victory side by side in a joint start for a long time.
The start was Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton). Hwang Hee-chan started in the 22nd round home match between Liverpool and English Premier League (EPL) held on the morning of the 5th and opened the way for a 3-0 victory by inducing Liverpool defender Joel Matip’s own goal, which became the winning goal in the 5th minute of the first half. It was another decisive performance for Hwang Hee-chan, who has been steadily gaining opportunities since taking over as manager Hulen Lopetegui. Although this season is suffering from sluggishness, it was more meaningful because it showed an active performance against Liverpool, a strong team representing the EPL.
However, Hwang Hee-chan was out due to a hamstring injury at the end of the first half and could not laugh until the end. Coach Lopetegui expressed regret after the game, saying, “Hwang Hee-chan will not be able to play for a few weeks.”
Hwang Hee-chan was followed by Kim Min-jae (Napoli) and Lee Kang-in (Mallorca).
Kim Min-jae showed another scoreless defense in the Serie A round 21 away match against Spezia held in the afternoon of the same day, leading to a 3-0 victory. Napoli took the lead with a comfortable 5-game winning streak. Kim Min-jae recorded his kick only once that day, but instead, he focused on blocking the opponent’s pass while actively pressing to the half line, and led the attack development smoothly with a pass success rate of 91%. The football statistics site WhoScored.com gave Kim Min-jae a rating of 7.1.
Lee Kang-in, who had a game after that, played the ground for 78 minutes against Spain’s Primera’s ‘big man’ Real Madrid. Lee Kang-in, who recorded an assist with a sharp free kick in the first confrontation held in September of last year, failed to add an attack point on this day. However, he started as a second-line striker and took on the role of supporting one-top Vedat Muriki, focusing on disrupting Real Madrid’s rear and leading the team to a 1-0 victory. It’s been about 3 years and 4 months since October 20, 2019 that Mallorca defeated Real Madrid. 안전놀이터
Kang-in Lee surprised the fans when he was tackled by Uruguayan midfielder Federico Valverde, who had a bad relationship in the Qatar World Cup group stage match last year. At the time of the World Cup, Valverde stopped Lee Kang-in with a tackle in the second half of extra time, kicked the ball, and performed an excessive ceremony in front of Lee Kang-in, raising his eyebrows. In the game that day, after knocking down Lee Kang-in with a tackle that used both feet in the 19th minute of the second half, he received a warning and was immediately replaced by Luka Modric. Lee Kang-in, who had fallen on the ground and suffered, got up immediately and took a free kick to ease his worries about injury.
Son Heung-min (Tottenham) decorated the finale of the ‘Happy Weekend’. Son Heung-min started in the 2022-2023 EPL Round 22 home game against Manchester City (hereinafter referred to as Man City) held on the 6th and was replaced after playing 84 minutes. At the start of the game, Son Heung-min, who showed active movements such as dribbling 50m alone, persistently dug into the space behind Manchester City, who had pulled up the line throughout the game, aiming for a goal, but failed to score. However, the team was able to smile brightly, winning 1-0 with Harry Kane’s opening goal in the 15th minute of the first half. After the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium opened, Tottenham continued its strong side by winning five straight home matches against Man City. After the game, Son Heung-min was recognized for his performance by receiving good ratings of 6 to 8 points on various statistical sites.