Red Star’s Seol Young-woo bags assist in 5-2 loss to Barcelona

Red Star Belgrade fullback Seol Young-woo, center right, vies for the ball during a Champions League match agaisnt Barcelona at Rajko Mitic Stadium in Serbia on Wednesday. [EPA/YONHAP]

Red Star Belgrade fullback Seol Young-woo picked up his first assist in the Champions League on Wednesday, providing the effort in an eventual 5-2 loss to Barcelona.

With the score at 5-1 at Rajko Mitic Stadium in Serbia deep into the second half, Milson reduced the deficit in the 84th minute, capitalizing a cross from Seol. That sealed Red Star’s 5-2 loss and marked Seol’s first registered contribution in any UEFA competition.

Much of Wednesday’s game saw an emphatic showcase of the attacking power of Barcelona that the Spanish giants have boasted in the 2024-25 season.

Inigo Martinez opened the scoring for Barcelona just inside 13 minutes, followed by an equalizer from Silas Katompa-Mvumpa in the 27th minute. But Robert Lewandowski reclaimed Barcelona’s lead with a goal in the 43rd minute.

Barcelona’s aggression became more apparent in the second half, with Lewandowski scoring again in the 53rd minute. Raphina also registered a goal in the 55th minute and Fermin Lopez scored a goal No. 5 in the 76th minute.

Wednesday’s result put Barcelona in sixth place on the 36-team table, while Red Star are now in 35th place.

Both clubs need to finish in the top eight to directly reach the round of 16. Finishing from ninth to 24th will put them in the playoffs to join the final 16. Those who finish below 24th will exit the tournament.

Wednesday’s Champions League match was Seol’s sixth appearance in the tournament. He has played the full 90 minutes in every match, including two qualifying matches.

The Korean has been a regular pick for Red Star since joining the club ahead of the 2024-25 season, having played 16 matches across all competitions and picked up one goal and two assists.

He also received a Korean national team call-up for the November international break during which Korea will play two 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Kuwait and Palestine.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]