Hwang Hee-chan nets first goal on his debut day in EPL

South Korean football player Hwang Hee-chan scored the first goal of his career in the English Premier League (EPL) after moving to Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. from RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga of Germany, becoming the first South Korean EPL player to net a goal on the EPL debut day.

Hwang joined as a substitute player in the second half of an away match with Watford in the 4th round of the 2021-22 EPL at Vicarage Road Stadium in Watford, Britain on Saturday. He achieved a goal to fortify his team’s lead by 2-0 and contribute to its first victory of the season. Scoring the team’s first field goal of this season, Hwang made a strong impression on Wolverhampton’s fans. It was the perfect timing for Hwang to score a second goal in the middle of the second half to ensure the team’s triumph thanks to his grits and concentration. Right after Wolves’ Fernando Marçal attempted a volley kick in the 29th minute of the second half, Hwang did not miss the ball bouncing off a defender to fire home a left foot shot.

Saturday’s goal gave Hwang a chance to raise his profile and build confidence for a soft landing on the EPL. His last regular-season goal was scored in July 2020 when Hwang fought for Salzburg in a match against Sturm Graz. That is why his finishing performance was a big question mark when he moved to Wolverhampton. However, it took only one game for him to turn question into expectations.

Such an earlier-than-expected goal allowed him to lay the foundation for serving as a key offense. Wolves’ head coach Bruno Lage highly commended Hwang for securing a position between midfielders and defenders to create chances. “It’s a good start for him and I hope he has a good future with us,” the coach said.

Hwang became the 8th South Korean EPL player who scored goals following Park Ji-sung, Seol Ki-hyeon, Ji Dong-won, Ki Sung-yueng, Lee Chung-yong, Kim Bo-kyung and Son Heung-min.


Jae-Yeong Yoo elegant@donga.com