Hwang Hee-chan nets a brace against Brentford

Hwang Hee-chan, the South Korean winger of the Wolverhampton Wanderers, has netted a brace, scoring his first double-digit goals in a season since his English Premier League (EPL) debut.

In the 2023-2024 EPL Round 19 away match against Brentford on Thursday, the left-side forward Hwang scored in the 14th minute of the first half to put his team 1-0 ahead and again in the 28th minute of the first half when they were leading the game by 2-1. His first goal was found by intercepting a back pass from the opposing defender, Nathan Collins, to the goalkeeper and slotting it past the goalkeeper. The second goal involved dribbling past one defender inside the penalty box before unleashing a right-footed shot into the net. This marked Hwang's second instance of scoring two goals in a single EPL match since October 2, 2021, against Newcastle. Wolverhampton manager Gary O'Neil praised Hwang, adding, "Once he's on the pitch as a starter, he knows what to do. Just watching him is reassuring. It's calming to see him play."

With his 9th and 10th league goals of the season, Hwang achieved double-digit goal-scoring in a season for the first time since his EPL debut in the 2021-2022 season. He joins Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur as the second Korean player to score double-digit goals in a single EPL season. Hwang scored five goals in 30 games in his debut season and netted three goals in 27 games last season. If he maintains his current pace, having played half of the season's total matches, Hwang will likely reach 20 goals this season. With the additional two goals, Hwang now ranks 6th among the league's top scorers, just one goal behind the joint 4th place held by Son Heung-min and Jarrod Bowen of West Ham, both with 11 goals.

Hwan, however, left the field during the extra time in the first half, complaining of back pain. The injury occurred while contesting an aerial ball with the opposing defender Ethan Pinnock. While he lay on the ground in apparent pain for a while, the injury does not seem to be severe. After the match, Hwang reassured, saying, "I'm okay. It's not a serious injury." "Hwang Hee-chan had some muscle cramps in his back, but it's not a significant injury,” Manager O'Neil said. “Hwang should be able to play in the next game against Everton."

Nevertheless, O'Neil expressed concern about Hwang, the team's leading goal-scorer, who will be absent for a while due to his participation in the Asian Cup, scheduled in Qatar starting January 12 next year. "Hwang Hee-chan will be leaving the team for a while to join the national team,” O'Neil said. “So, we have more to think about." Hwang is expected to play in the home game against Everton in Round 20, scheduled on Sunday midnight, before joining the South Korean national football team.

Even though Hwang was substituted before the end of the first half, he was named the 'Man of the Match (MOM),' a title given to the game's best player. Football statistics websites 'FootMob' and 'WhoScored.com' both awarded him the highest ratings, 8.7 and 8.3, respectively, surpassing all players from both teams.


Bae-Jung Kim wanted@donga.com