Hwang Hee-chan's Tears: "Not Just Hard Work, But Now Smart Work"

"I am happy and proud to be able to play as a South Korean athlete"

Hwang Hee-chan celebrating his successful advancement to the round of 16 on the 3rd (Korean time). Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Culture Young Intern Reporter] 'Bull' Hwang Hee-chan expressed his gratitude to the people of the Republic of Korea and shed tears of regret.

The South Korean national team faced Brazil in the Round of 16 of the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup at Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar, at 4 a.m. (Korean time) on the 6th but lost 1-4.

Korea scored a consolation goal by Baek Seung-ho in the 31st minute of the second half, but having conceded 4 goals in the first half, they failed to advance to the quarterfinals. With this, Korea concluded all its schedules in the Qatar World Cup, while Brazil advanced to the quarterfinals and will face Croatia, who previously defeated Japan in a penalty shootout.

Hwang Hee-chan, who started in this tournament and showed active performance on the left flank, broke down in tears during a post-match interview. He confronted Brazil with his characteristic threatening long-range shots and dribbling but could not overcome Brazil, a strong favorite and FIFA No. 1 ranked team.

I'm proud to be a citizen of the Republic of Korea

Hwang Hee-chan said, "There were many joyful moments and many difficult moments over the past four years, but we overcame the tough times as a team. We performed well in the final qualifiers and advanced to the World Cup to compete with world-class teams," adding, "Although we lost the last match, the way we played so far, the process we went through, and the support from the fans make me proud to be a citizen of the Republic of Korea through this tournament."

Hwang continued, "Thank you for cheering us on until dawn. I think this tournament has become one that brought joy to the people through football and made us prouder. I want to express my gratitude to the fans for making us proud," he said.

He added with regret, "We prepared very well for this tournament. I couldn't play in the early matches due to injury and felt sorry for not being able to help the team. The team needed goals, and I should have focused more on producing results."

He then said, "I want to say thank you and that I am proud. I am very, very proud to be part of this team. It is a very proud team. We showed the potential to do better in the future. Playing today’s match, I felt that it is important not only to work hard against world-class teams but also to prepare tactically and smartly. I am happy and proud to play as a player of the Republic of Korea."

Earlier, Hwang Hee-chan faced a crisis due to a hamstring injury but led the team to the Round of 16 with a dramatic winning goal against Portugal.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.