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The World Cup isn’t brief on magic, and as we speak, South Korea wanted some.
After conceding an early objective to Portugal within the recreation’s first half, the Reds had fought again to stage the match that might ship them to the knockout phases of the competitors. However a tie wouldn’t be ok. They wanted a objective. Then, simply earlier than the 66th minute, the digital camera panned to Hwang Hee-chan, who had begun to place his jersey on. I set free a small shriek in an agonizing mixture of nervousness and pleasure.
The South Korean winger performs his membership soccer for my most popular Premier League group, Wolverhampton Wanderers; I do know what he’s able to when he’s on his recreation. In his debut for Wolves, after signing on mortgage from RB Leipzig within the German high flight, Hwang confirmed his knack for being in the suitable place on the proper time, tapping a ball into the again of the online to seal the win in opposition to Watford. Three matches later, brilliance once more, as his knack for ending noticed him internet two targets—together with the winner—in opposition to Newcastle United.
However accidents hampered Hwang’s promising begin. The targets dried up. In truth, he hasn’t scored in additional than 25 league and cup fixtures for Wolves. His tendency to choose up accidents in any case opportune moments surfaced once more simply earlier than the World Cup.
Till as we speak, Hwang had not seen the pitch since a slim 1–0 victory in opposition to Leeds United within the Carabao Cup in early November; there was fear within the South Korean camp that he would miss out on the event altogether. Every week in the past, simply earlier than South Korea performed Ghana in its second match of the World Cup, the Korea Soccer Affiliation shared a put up on Instagram exhibiting Hwang operating once more throughout coaching. However after he didn’t characteristic within the recreation, it appeared that these worst fears may be realized.
As these ideas knowledgeable my audible expression, Hwang entered the match. He regarded brilliant from the start, exhibiting flashes of his pace and skill with the ball at his ft. With Uruguay main Ghana 2–0—which means that the South Koreans would end group play in third place and be eradicated, except they scored—the Koreans pushed ahead at each probability that they had, usually leaving their again line uncovered by committing so many gamers towards Portugal’s objective.
Then the wizardry Korea wanted arrived. Within the 91st minute, Heung-min Son, Korea’s captain and a star ahead for the English Premier League’s Tottenham Hotspur, raced up the suitable wing after a Portugal nook kick fell to his ft. Three Portuguese defenders closed down on him; 4 have been tailing him. Hwang darted down the center of the pitch with one defender on his outdoors hip. Son slotted the ball by way of the protection, and Hwang—proper place, proper time—angled it previous the Portuguese keeper into the bottom-left nook of the objective. Bedlam. The digital camera panned the gang because the Korean followers’ pleasure welled into puddles below their eyes.
That is the second time in twenty years that South Korea has gone by way of to the World Cup knockout phases by beating Portugal on the ultimate day of group play. In 2002, South Korea received 1–0 and went on to get pleasure from its most profitable event within the group’s World Cup historical past. Lining up throughout from them on the sector that day within the early aughts was the coach of this 12 months’s iteration of the Reds, Paulo Bento.
As I’ve written earlier than, that was the World Cup that made me a fan. As the ultimate whistle blew on that day, Korean gamers fell to their knees, and supporters hugged in real elation that their nation had completed all it might to maneuver ahead within the competitors. I can solely think about what Son and Hwang’s second of magic has completed for a brand new era of Korean soccer followers.
