Olympiacos 1-1 Freiburg as Europa League hosts rare three-way Korean derby

Football

Published: 28 Oct. 2022, 09:49 Updated: 28 Oct. 2022, 09:51

Olympiacos 1-1 Freiburg as Europa League hosts rare three-way Korean derby

Olympiacos midfielder Hwang In-beom, center, kicks the ball passed Freiburg's Jeong Woo-yeong during a UEFA Europa League Group G match between SC Freiburg and Olympiacos in Freiburg, Germany on Thursday. [AFP/YONHAP]

For the final 14 minutes of a Europa League clash in Freiburg, Germany on Thursday there were three Korean footballers on the pitch, marking quite possibly the first time three top-tier Korean footballers have played together in Europe.

For a lot of the match between Freiburg and OIympiacos at Europa-Park Stadium it looked like it might not happen. With only Olympiacos’ Hwang In-beom starting, the three-way Korean derby looked as elusive as it did in the first leg, when Freiburg won 3-0 and only two Korean players made it on to the pitch.

But then Freiburg brought on Jeong Woo-yeong in the 64th minute, taking the quota up to two Korean footballers. Olympiacos added Hwang Ui-jo in the 83rd minute, completing the set with Hwang In-beom playing the entire game.

The appearance of both Hwangs and Jeong may well have been the first time three Koreans have played together in a major European tournament, although analysts remain uncertain exactly where that line should be drawn when it comes to the Europa League.

But despite the excitement for Korean football fans, the three had little impact on the game. Olympiacos drew first blood with a goal from Youssef El-Arabi in the 17th minute, with Lukas Kübler equalizing in the 93rd minute.

The draw is bad news for Olympiacos, who remain in last place in Group G with no chance of advancing to the knockout stage of the Europa League. Freiburg sit at the other end of the group, winning every other game so far to guarantee advancement.

Of the three Koreans on the pitch, the result is also especially bad news for Hwang Ui-jo, who has dropped from then-Ligue 1 club Bordeaux’s top scorer last season to an occasional bit part in the fourth-best team in the Greek Super League.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]