Last night, at an international tournament, Hwang Hee-chan made history for South Korea, leaving many Wolves supporters filled with pride.
The 28-year-old is presently representing his nation at the Asian Cup, although he hasn’t had much opportunity to play.
Due to a knock, Clinical Hwang did not play in any of the first two games against Bahrain or Jordan.
In the third encounter between Korea and Malaysia, he entered as a replacement and contributed for about thirty minutes of the 3-3 tie.
Hwang was still not quite well enough to play in the Saudi Arabian national semifinal last night, but he was still able to help his nation, with the Wolves attacker grabbing national attention for his actions.
Abdullah Radif gave Saudi Arabia a 1-0 lead in the match, and South Korea was on the verge of elimination from the Asia Cup last night.
The contest was about to go to the final eight when Cho Gue-sung equalised in the 99th minute, saving the Gulf state from elimination.
There was a heated penalty shootout after extra time ended without any goals being scored.
Jo Hyeon-woo saved the penalties for Sami al-Najei and Abdulrahman Ghareeb, allowing fourth taker Hwang to be in the centre of yet another historic occasion for his nation.
Of course, Hwang saved the day for South Korea when they overcame Portugal in their last group stage encounter at the 2022 World Cup by scoring the game-winning goal in injury time.
Hwang, a quality player worth £14 million, showed composure to take his penalty and blasted the ball into the upper corner.
So Hwang has stepped up for his country in an international tournament once again, and it’s brilliant to see.
Hwang – branded ‘phenomenal’ earlier this season by Wolves captain Max Kilman – is one of his country’s big hitters, along with Tottenham Hotspur captain Heung-min Son, and it’s great to see him rising to the occasion, despite not being totally match-sharp at the moment.
Wolves will have to wait a little longer to get Hwang back, with South Korea now taking on Australia in Friday’s quarter-final.
Should South Korea make it all the way to the final, it will mean Hwang will miss Wolves’ games against Chelsea and Brentford in the Premier League. Thankfully, Wanderers have done well without him so far, but it’ll be a huge boost whenever he returns.
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