Hong Hyun-seok (24, KAA Gent) ran around the field for 118 minutes to help the team advance to the round of 16 of the European Football Federation (UEFA) Europa Conference League (UECL).
KAA Gent won 1-0 against Karabakh FK in the second leg of the UECL round of 16 playoff held at Gelamco Arena in Ghent, Belgium on the 24th (Korean time) and advanced to the round of 16 after a bloody penalty shoot-out.스포츠토토
Gent needed a win today as they lost 0-1 away in the first leg. In a tense game, Gent scored a valuable first goal in the 29th minute of the second half. In the free kick situation, Hong Hyun-seok delivered the ball into the box, and Gift Orban calmly finished the ball after Mikael Ngadu-eungajwi dropped it with his head.
With the aggregate score of the first and second games being 1-1, both teams went into overtime. Hong Hyun-seok was replaced in the 13th minute of the second half of extra time and finished his mission.
No goals were scored in overtime, and the winner was decided by penalty shoot-out. Destiny changed at kicker number 4. Ghent’s goalkeeper, Darby Ruff, emerged as a hero by blocking a shot by Yashin Benjia. In the end, Gent won 5-3 and advanced to the round of 16.
Hong Hyun-seok, who played as an attacking midfielder, played a big role for 118 minutes. According to football statistics media ‘Foot Mob’, he recorded a pass success rate of 72% (46/64), 2 successful dribbles (2/2), 8 passes into the final third, and 16 recoveries of ball possession. The media gave him an 8.0, the third highest rating on the team.
After joining Ulsan Hyundai in 2018, Hong Hyun-seok went on loan to Unterhaching in the German third division and stepped on the European stage. The following year, he was loaned to Austrian 2nd Division League Unioz, and transferred to Austria 1st Division LASK Linz in the 2021-2022 season.
Hong Hyun-seok has been making impressive performances on the Belgian stage since he set up a new nest in Ghent in August of last year. He has eight goals and seven assists in all competitions this season.