Hwang Ui-jo scores his 10th goal of the season

Korean striker Hwang Ui-jo of Bordeaux in the Ligue 1 has scored a goal for three consecutive games, hitting double-digit goals after two seasons in the European league.

During a 31st round home game against RC Strasbourg Alsace held at Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux on Sunday, Hwang scored a penalty in the first-half injury time while his team was losing 1-3. It was his 10th goal of the season. It was usually Hatem Ben Arfa, who used to do a penalty kick, but Hwang was given a chance on Sunday, suggesting that he is being recognized as the team’s main striker. Even in counterattacks and cross situations, Hwang’s teammates delivered passes to him. However, Bordeaux was defeated 2-3, falling to 14th in standings with 10 wins, 15 losses, and six draws.

But Hwang was in his best form. So far, the South Korean footballer has scored the most goals (8) in the league along with the league’s best strikers, such as Kylian Mbappe of Paris Saint-Germain, Wissam Ben Yedder of AS Monaco, and Jonathan David of Lille. If Hwang keeps pace, he has a chance of breaking the most goals scored by a Korean player in the league, overtaking Park Ju-young’s 12 goals scored for AS Monaco in the 2010-11 season.


Jae-Yeong Yoo elegant@donga.com