Lee Kang-in returns from injury as four Koreans make Champions League debut

Football

Published: 20 Sep. 2023, 10:33 Updated: 20 Sep. 2023, 19:42

Lee Kang-in returns from injury as four Koreans make Champions League debut

Lee Kang-in of PSG in action during a UEFA Champions League Group F match against Borussia Dortmund in Paris, France on Tuesday. [AFP/YONHAP]

The 2023-24 UEFA Champions League kicked off Tuesday with Lee Kang-in, Hwang In-beom, Oh Hyeon-gyu and Yang Hyun-jun all getting their first taste of Europe’s most prestigious competition.

Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee came on as a substitute for the final 10 minutes of the French club’s 2-0 win over Borrusia Dortmund, getting a brief taste of the Champions League after being sidelined for a month due to a quadriceps injury.

The brief appearance came long after Kylian Mbappe had opened the scoring with a penalty in the 49th minute and Achraf Hakimi had secured the win with a goal in the 58th. It will be Lee’s only appearance for PSG for some time, as he flew to China Wednesday to join the Korean U-24 squad at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

Lee’s return from injury is good news for both PSG and the Korean national team. A rising star in the midfield, Lee is expected to step into the significant gap led by the departure of Lionel Messi and Neymar at PSG.

Already a senior squad regular pick for Korea, Lee is also expected to lead the U-24 squad at the Asiad. The team had to start their campaign without him on Tuesday due to the Champions League commitment, winning 9-0 against Kuwait.

Red Star Belgrade's Hwang In-beom, left, in action with Manchester City's Kyle Walker during a UEFA Champions League Group G match at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester on Tuesday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Hwang also made an appearance for Red Star Belgrade in their Champions League clash with reigning champions Manchester City, playing 83 minutes in only his second appearance for the club.

For Hwang, who only a month ago was persona non grata in Greece, going toe-to-toe with the likes of Phil Foden and Ruben Dias in a Champions League game marks yet another twist in the 27-year-old’s dramatic career.

A versatile and stoic presence in the midfield, Hwang transferred from Greek side Olympiacos to Red Star earlier this month after a protracted dispute with the management over his contract terms.

He had arrived in Olympiacos after his burgeoning career with Russian side Rubin Kazan was cut short by the country’s invasion of Ukraine. Greece was a convenient entry point to Europe, but for a player of Hwang’s caliber it was only ever supposed to be a brief stepping stone.

But despite reported interest from Rangers, Inter Milan, Napoli, Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Monchengladbach, Olympiacos was unwilling to let Hwang go, apparently until Red Star came calling.

Despite that upheaval, Hwang quickly found his feet at Red Star, debuting over the weekend and making his first Champions League appearance just a couple of days later.

Celtic's Oh Hyeon-gyu, left, and Feyenoord's Gernot Trauner vie for the ball during a Champions League Group E match at the Kuip stadium in Rotterdam, Netherlands on Tuesday. [AP/YONHAP]

Oh and Yang were the final two Koreans to make their UEFA debut, both appearing for Celtic in their 2-0 loss to Feyenoord.

Like Lee, neither Oh nor Hwang made the starting lineup. Yang came on as a substitute in the 58th minute, with Oh joining him 20 minutes later in the 82nd.

It was a difficult outing for Celtic, with not just two goals conceded, but also two red cards to Gustaf Lagerbielke and Odin Thiago Holm. Neither Oh nor Yang, both of whom joined the club earlier this year, were able to make a significant impact in the midfield.

Feyenoord's Luka Ivanusec, left, fights for the ball with Celtic's Yang Hyun-jun during a Champions League Group E match at the Kuip stadium in Rotterdam, Netherlands on Tuesday. [AP/YONHAP]

The Champions League group stage action will continue in two weeks, with PSG facing Newcastle, Celtic facing Lazio and Red Star facing Young Boys, all on Oct. 4.

In the meantime, the clubs will all be back in action this weekend in their respective leagues. PSG — minus Lee — face Marseille on Sunday and Celtic face Livingston on Saturday. Red Star may get the weekend off as their league clash with Backa Topola is currently listed as postponed.

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