It was a small tragedy, really, that Hwang In-Beom’s fabulous long-range strike during Olympiakos 2-1 midweek victory over AEK Athens counted for nothing in the end.
Olympiakos, after all, had lost the first leg 3-0 in the capital. A 2-1 win in the return fixture, then, was not sufficient to secure a place in the Greek Cup capital, Hwang’s laser-guided 25-yard rocket little more than a consolation in the grand old scheme of things.
“We won the match against AEK. But we didn’t manage to qualify for the final of the Greek Cup,” the South Korean interantional sighs, in conversation with BN Sports.
“(But) I think it was very important for us, because we are coming off a defeat against Panathinaikos. And if we lost a second game in a row, the situation would become very difficult for us.
“So, I think this win is of great value to build momentum for the rest of the Super League.”
From a personal perspective, Hwang’s second-half winner against AEK was his fifth in all competitions this term. As such, the 2022/23 campaign is now the most prolific in the 26-year-old’s entire professional career, Hwang beating his previous-best tally of four.
What do you get a midfielder who appeared to have everything? An all-new goalscoring streak.
Rangers like Olympiakos ace Hwang In-Beom
According to Greek reporter Georgios Sideridiss, Rangers have sent scouts to watch Hwang in action; the Scottish Premiership potentially set to gain another Far Eastern talent to follow in the footsteps of Celtic trio Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda and Kyogo Furuhashi.
Hwang has been nicknamed Olympiakos’ very own ‘Supercomputer’ due to his split-second decision making and his ability to think his way out of almost any problem.
Rangers, throughout much of the campaign, have looked like a team in need of a reliable distributor. Someone capable of putting their foot on the ball, calming everything down and orchestrating proceedings in the middle of. thepark. Especially with 38-year-old Steven Davis no longer part of the starting XI.
The silky, stylish Hwang could be the perfect foil for the more combative John Lundstram or Nicolas Raskin.
And if indeed he does arrive during what is likely to be a hectic summer of incomings and outgoings at Ibrox, Rangers will not just be getting the pretty-passing playmaker they need. They would also be signing a man who appears to be adding an all-new, goalscoring string to his bow.
