Red Star's Hwang In-beom gets an assist in 2-1 loss to Bodo

Red Star Belgrade midfielder Hwang In-beom added an assist in his side’s 2-1 loss to FK Bodo/Glimt Tuesday in the first leg of the 2024-25 Champions League playoff at Aspmyra Stadion in Norway.

Red Star Belgrade midfielder Hwang In-beom, left, in action, during the first leg of the 2024-25 Champions League playoff against FK Bodo/Glimt at Aspmyra Stadion in Norway in a photo shared on Red Star's official X account on Tuesday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Red Star Belgrade midfielder Hwang In-beom added an assist in his side’s 2-1 loss to FK Bodo/Glimt Tuesday in the first leg of the 2024-25 Champions League playoff at Aspmyra Stadion in Norway.

Hwang played a full 90 minutes as a central midfielder alongside countryman Seol Young-woo, who joined Red Star ahead of this season.

After the goalless first half, Bodo went in front with one goal apiece from Odin Bjortuft and Isak Dybvik Maaatta.

What looked to be a one-sided match saw the Serbian side bouncing back, with Hwang assisting a goal from Ognjen Mimovic in the 75th minute. But without the equalizer, the match ended with a 2-1 loss for Red Star.

Mimovic’s goal still provides Red Star some hope ahead of the second playoff. The side with the higher aggregate score from the two playoffs will book a ticket to the league stage of the Champions League starting next month.

If Red Star reach the Champions League, it will be Hwang’s second time playing in the tournament after making his competition debut last season during which he picked up a goal and an assist against then-defending champions Manchester City in the group stage.

As for fullback Seol, it will be a chance to make his Champions League debut in his first season in Europe. Before joining Red Star, the 25-year-old only played for K League 1 team Ulsan HD.

Red Star’s run in the Champions League last season ended relatively early, crashing out of the group stage after finishing at the bottom in Group G.

But the club had a successful domestic season, winning both the Serbian SuperLiga and Seriban Cup titles. The defending champions have been on a good run in the league this year as well, sitting at the top of the table with four wins and one draw as of press time Wednesday.

The decisive second playoff against Bodo kicks off on Aug. 28 in Belgrade, Serbia.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]