Jeonbuk Lee Seung-woo and Hwang Hee-chan have made a substitute for the injury after 5 years and 4 months. My dream to return to the A team came true

Oct 12, 2024

Lee Seung-woo played in the national team's warm-up match against Iran at Seoul World Cup Stadium on June 11, 2019. Sports Chosun DB

'My dream came true in 5 years and 4 months.'

Jeonbuk Hyundai striker Lee Seung-woo (26)'s long wait finally came to fruition. He has been called back to the Korean national soccer team (A team) for the first time in five years and four months. Although it is a substitute for Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton)'s injury, the fact that he joined the A national team can be a great motivation for Lee Seung-woo.

On the morning of the 12th, the Korea Football Association announced the injury situation of the A national team player and the subsequent replacement. The association said 'Hwang Hee-chan was diagnosed with a left ankle injury and Um Ji-sung's left knee injury that prevented him from participating in the Iraq match, and 'Lee Seung-woo and Moon Seon-min (Jeonbuk) have been replaced and are scheduled to join the recovery training that will be held behind closed doors at Seongnam FC clubhouse this afternoon'

As a result, Lee Seung-woo will rejoin the A-team list for the first time in five years and four months since he was called up to the A-team under Paulo Bento in June 2019 and replaced in a warm-up match against Iran at Seoul World Cup Stadium on June 11.

There were many twists and turns. Team A, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, defeated home team Jordan 2-0 in the third Group B match of the 2026 FIFA North-China World Cup in Amman, Jordan, on the 10th. Lee Jae-sung's goal in the 38th minute of the first half and Oh Hyun-kyu's goal in the 23rd minute of the second half gave Hong Myung-bo a valuable victory.

However, bad news also followed. National team strikers Hwang Hee-chan and Um Ji-sung were injured by Jordanian defense's vicious hand-to-hand defense. Hwang Hee-chan, who started, was beaten by Mohanad Abu Taha's two-footed tackle in the 20th minute of the first half. In the end, Hwang Hee-chan was helped and replaced by Um Ji-sung.

However, this time, even the substitute Um Ji-sung was defeated by Jordanian defense. Um Ji-sung was dribbled in the Jordan penalty area in the third minute of the second half when he was knocked down by an opponent's tackle. Due to this injury, Um Ji-sung was eventually replaced by Bae Joon-ho (Stoke City).

Neither of them is lightly injured. Hwang Hee-chan and Um Ji-sung came in in a wheelchair when they returned home via Incheon International Airport on the 11th. Later, a detailed examination determined that he could no longer play in the game. Not only has there been a great loss to the national team's power, but it can also pose a great threat to the individual player's career.

Their vacancies will be filled by Lee Seung-woo and Moon Sun-min. Both of them have been waiting for a long time to return to the A team, and there is an expected aspect in that they have shown good performance in the K League this season. Moon Seon-min was sluggish in the early and mid-season, but he recently revived his sense of goal.

It is a very special decision, especially for Lee Seung-woo. "Join the A team" was the first reason Lee Seung-woo returned to K League 1. However, Lee Seung-woo has been consistently playing in the K League 1 for three years until this year, but he has repeatedly failed to be selected for the A national team.

Lee Seung-woo, who has been desperate, showed even more advanced performance this season. He played in 18 games for Suwon FC and led the team's rise with 10 goals and 2 assists, and in the second half of the season, he moved to Jeonbuk and has one assist in one game.

wman@sportschosun.com