Many Wolves fans were left feeling proud last night, as Hwang Hee-chan stepped up once again for South Korea at an international tournament.
The 28-year-old is currently at the Asian Cup with his country, and so far he hasn’t really been able to play much.
Clinical Hwang did not feature at all in the first two games against Bahrain and Jordan, having been nursing a knock.
He came on as a substitute for Korea in the third match against Malaysia, playing around half an hour in the 3-3 draw.
Hwang was still not quite fit enough to start the last 16 match against Saudi Arabia last night, but he was still able to contribute for his country, with the Wolves attacker making headlines for what he did…
Hwang Hee-chan fires South Korea into Asian Cup quarter-finals with winning penalty
South Korea were on the brink of going out of the Asia Cup last night, with Saudi Arabia having gone 1-0 up in the game through Abdullah Radif.
The Gulf state were set to advance to the last eight, but Cho Gue-sung equalised in the 99th minute to keep the contest alive.
After no goals were scored in extra-time, the game went to a tense penalty shootout.
Sami al-Najei and Abdulrahman Ghareeb had their penalties saved by Jo Hyeon-woo, giving fourth taker Hwang the chance to be at the centre of another huge moment for his country.
Hwang, of course, was the hero for South Korea when they defeated Portugal at the 2022 World Cup in their final groups stage match to advance through to the last 16, with Hwang scoring an injury-time winner.
£14 million star Hwang was able to hold his nerve for his penalty, absolutely rifling the ball into the top corner.
A brilliant moment for Hwang
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.