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Feyenoord's Hwang In-beom returns from injury ahead of international break

Published: 17 Mar. 2025, 15:15 Updated: 17 Mar. 2025, 15:16

PAIK JI-HWAN
[email protected]

Feyenoord midfielder Hwang In-beom in action during an Eredivisie match against AZ Alkmaar in Rotterdam, Netherlands on Nov. 2, 2024. [EPA/YONHAP]

Feyenoord midfielder Hwang In-beom returned to action in a 6-2 win over FC Twente in the Eredivisie at Grolsch Veste in the Netherlands on Sunday after being sidelined for a month due to injury, tuning up ahead of the March international break.

Hwang played 27 minutes as a defensive midfielder in a game that saw his club bag a huge 6-2 victory that put them in fourth place.

Sunday’s fixture was the first time Hwang played under new manager Robin van Persie, who took the helm at the end of last month after Brian Prske left Feyenoord through a mutual agreement.

Hwang’s return to the pitch comes ahead of the March international break, during which he will join the Korean national team for a 2026 World Cup qualifier against Oman on Thursday and another qualifier against Jordan on March 25.

Hwang, who has established himself as a key midfielder at Feyenoord with two goals and eight assists across 30 appearances this season, is also a regular pick for the national team with 66 caps.

The veteran midfielder has played all of the past six qualifiers in the third qualifying round since last September and picked up two assists in the process.

As a versatile midfielder, he not only executes defensive duties but acts as an engine in front of the back four, occasionally providing long passes to the front.

He joins fellow national team regular picks based in Europe such as Lee Jae-sung of Mainz, Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain and Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur.

The national team, led by manager Hong Myung-bo, has no notable absentees except center-back Kim Min-jae of Bayern Munich, who will miss the upcoming break due to injury.

Hong called up FC Seoul center-back Kim Ju-sung as a replacement on Monday. Other center-back options are Jung Seung-hyun of Al-Wasl and Cho Yu-min of Sharjah FC.

Korea will host both of the upcoming qualifiers, facing Oman in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on Thursday and Jordan in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on March 25.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]