Ghent ), without national team midfielder Hong Hyun-seok , maintained the lead in the group stage of the European Football Union (UEFA) Conference League (UECL).
Ghent won 4-1 in the 5th game of the 2023-24 UECL Group B group stage against Zorya Luhansk (Ukraine) held at the Geramco Arena in Ghent, Belgium, on the 1st (Korean time).
As a result, Gent recorded 4 wins and 1 draw (13 points), beating Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel), which had 4 wins and 1 loss (12 points), and maintained the lead in the group.
Ghent’s key midfielder Hong Hyun-seok has missed two consecutive games since being called up to the national team in November, following the match against Union SG in the 15th round of the league. 안전놀이터
Hong Hyun-seok was selected for the 2026 North and Central America World Cup Asia 2nd qualifiers at the time, but was diagnosed with a stress fracture before the first game against Singapore and was excluded from the national team and returned to Belgium after resting.
This is an even more bitter absence for Hong Hyun-seok, who has played in all games except for being called up to the national team.
Hong Hyun-seok was unable to play in the first two UECL games due to being selected for the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, but he played in the next two games and scored one goal, contributing to the team’s winning streak.
In the league, he continued to play as a fixture until the 6th round after the opening. Afterwards, he missed the 7th to 10th rounds due to being selected for the Asian Games, and then started again from the 11th to 14th rounds, but has been excluded from the list again since the 15th round when he returned with an injury.
Meanwhile, Ghent did not miss victory despite Hong Hyun-seok’s absence. Gent took the lead thanks to Melik Fofana’s first goal in the 20th minute of the first half, an own goal in the 4th minute of the second half, Gift Orban in the 10th minute of the second half, and consecutive goals by Omri Gandelman in the 30th minute of the second half. They gave up a goal to Dennis Nanomi in the 37th minute of the second half, but it did not affect the game.
