Hwang Hee-chan to sit out Ghana match, questions linger about Kim Min-jae

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Published: 28 Nov. 2022, 13:38 Updated: 28 Nov. 2022, 16:36

Hwang Hee-chan to sit out Ghana match, questions linger about Kim Min-jae

Korea's head coach Paulo Bento speaks alongside Hwang In-beom during a press conference at the Qatar National Convention Center on the eve of the Group H World Cup soccer match between Korea and Ghana in Doha, Qatar on Sunday. [AP/YONHAP]

Kim Min-jae rides on a bike during a training session at Al Egla Training Site in Doha, Qatar on Sunday. [NEWS1]

Korean national team head coach Paulo Bento announced Sunday that Hwang Hee-chan will sit out Korea's match against Ghana on Monday. As of press time, the chances of defender Kim Min-jae starting the match also seem pretty slim.

Monday's match will be the second in a row that Hwang is missing out at the World Cup due to hamstring discomfort.

Captain Son Heung-min, who had surgery earlier this month after his eye socket was fractured, has shown up for every training session in Doha with a carbon-fiber mask and now seems to have recovered enough to play the full 90 minutes on the pitch. However, things have not been so smooth for Hwang.

Hwang's hamstring has been a concern since Nov. 12, when he didn't even get a spot on the bench in Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-0 loss to Arsenal, the club's last game before the international break.

Reports after the game suggested he was out due to hamstring discomfort, a phrase that has been repeated by the Korean camp over the last 10 days along with repeated reassurances that discomfort doesn’t mean injury.

However, Hwang was unable to start for Korea’s first match against Uruguay on Thursday and sat on the bench.

Although Hwang was seen training back on the pitch during the weekend with the Korean Football Association (KFA) also posting on social media that “the Bull is up and running” indicating that Hwang might be fit for the next match, Bento stated on Sunday that Hwang will not be back on the field to face Ghana.

“Hwang Hee-chan will not play against Ghana in addition to Uruguay,” said Bento on Sunday.

Hwang Hee-chan trains on the field at Al Egla Training Site in Doha, Qatar, on Sunday. Despite returning to the field this weekend after noticeably skipping field training last week before Korea's first match against Uruguay, Hwang will not be playing Korea's second match againt Ghana on Thursday. [NEWS1]

While Hwang and Son are not at their best, the bigger problem may lie with Kim’s physical condition.

On Saturday, the KFA confirmed that national team defender is struggling with discomfort in his calf and skipped training on Friday and Saturday.

"Kim Min-jae has missed out on training and is resting due to pain from an injury sustained during Korea's match against Uruguay on Thursday," the KFA announced Saturday. “Kim has pain in his calf. He is getting it treated while resting in his room instead of training.”

In the second half, Kim slipped trying to chase down Darwin Nunez of Uruguay. After laying down on the field in pain, Kim continued to push through the full match, holding Uruguay to a 0-0 draw.

However, Kim has been unable to attend training since the match because of the lingering pain from the injury. He has now skipped two straight days of training and was seen riding a stationary bike during the training session on Sunday rather than joining the team on the field.

Kim has for years been the center of the Korean back line and for him to miss out on the match against Ghana would be a colossal blow for the Taeguk Warriors.

Kim Min-jae reacts after slipping while trying to chase down Darwin Nunez of Uruguay during a World Cup Group H match against Uruguay at Education City Stadium in Qatar on Thursday. [YONHAP]

“I don’t know if Kim will play against Ghana or not at the moment,” said Bento. “I will decide on the morning of the match after watching how he recovers.”

After the 0-0 draw against Uruguay, Korea will be looking to beat Ghana as they are the only lower-ranked country in Group H, hoping to add three points to the table.

"I think the most important thing to do is to have the collective attitude toward the game," Bento said. "It will depend on how we make an assessment of the Ghana team as a collective. Of course, we are aware that they have high-quality players. They will be able to use space we leave. The match will be very demanding, and we'll have to be prepared at all levels for us to obtain a good result."

Korea's match against Ghana will kick off at 8 a.m. on Monday local time and will be broadcast live in Korea at 10 p.m.

BY YUN SO-HYANG [yun.sohyang@joongang.co.kr]