Korea's most successful UCL season in history: how many teams will reach the round of 16?

A record five starters this season
Hwang In-beom eliminated Oh Hyun-gyu-Yang Hyun-joon crisis
Lee Kang-in probable↑ Kim Min-jae definite

As the UEFA Champions League (UCL) group stage, dubbed the "stage of dreams," turns the corner and heads into the knockout stages, the fate of Korean players in the UCL is in doubt.

The 2023-2024 UCL is halfway through the fourth round of group stage matches as of Aug. 8 (KST). Teams in Groups E through H played their fourth game on that day, and clubs in Groups A through D will play the remaining four games on the 9th.

This season, five South Korean players - Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Hwang In-beom (Zvezda), Oh Hyun-kyu, and Yang Hyun-joon (Celtic) - have participated in the UCL, the most ever. However, not all of them made it to the round of 16.

First up was Hwang In-bum, a key midfielder for the South Korean national team. Hwang's team, Serbian side Zvezda, lost 1-2 at home against Leipzig (Germany) in the fourth match of Group G on Aug. 8.

The result left Zvezda with a 1-3 record (1 point), and even with a win in the remaining matches, the team could not close the gap on second-placed Leipzig (9 points), thus confirming their early elimination.

Hwang In-beom, who has become a key player since joining the club this season, struggled to get a result for Zvezda in the round of 16.

Hwang In-beom played the full match against Leipzig, earning a 7.4 rating, the highest of any Zvezda player, but he will have to wait for the next round of the tournament.

Oh Hyun-kyu and Yang Hyun-joon, two attacking players who play for Scottish giants Celtic, were also in danger of being eliminated. The team lost 0-6 on the road to Atletico Madrid (Spain). Celtic dropped to the bottom of Group E with a record of 1-3-3 (1 point).

They're effectively eliminated, but unlike Zvezda, they're not completely out of the running. With 7 points, they are six points behind second-place Lazio (Italy). If they win all of their remaining games and both Lazio and Feyenoord (Netherlands), who finished second and third in the group, respectively, lose, they will be level on points with Lazio.

Then we'll look at the number of head-to-head wins, goal differential, and goal difference between the teams tied on points. Celtic, who lost 1-2 to arch-rivals Lazio in the second leg, need to win the fifth leg by at least two points to take the winner-take-all advantage and reach the last 16 in dramatic fashion.

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) of the French Ligue 1, where Lee Kang-In plays, is also not guaranteed a spot in the round of 16. They lost 1-2 away to AC Milan (Italy).

Lee Kang-in came off the bench and pushed for an equalizer, but was unlucky to see his shot hit the post.

PSG is now second in the group with two wins and two losses (six points). In first place is Germany's Dortmund with 2 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss (7 points). PSG will need to rack up as many points as possible against Newcastle United (England) and Dortmund in the remainder of their schedule to advance to the knockout rounds.

Among the Korean leaguers, the player who is most certain to make the round of 16 is central defender Kim Min-jae. His team, Bayern Munich (Germany), is undefeated in three Group A matches. Since joining the club, Kim has become a mainstay for the Bavarians and has been instrumental in the team's rise to prominence.

If the Bavarians win their home match against Galatasaray on September 9, Kim will become the first Korean leaguer to reach the round of 16. 19가이드03