adminThe South Korean men’s national soccer team has been on a scoring spree for their clubs, raising expectations of a fiery attacking game ahead of the team’s upcoming A-match in Europe in September. Following captain Son Heung-min (31, Tottenham), Hong Hyun-seok (24, Hent), who has been a stalwart in the midfield, has been on a multi-goal tear.
On March 3, Hong put on a one-man show, scoring two goals in a 2-1 home win over Krupp Brugge in the fifth round of the 2023-2024 Belgian Professional Football Jupiler League.
Hong Hyun-seok scored the first goal with his quickness. In the 25th minute, striker Hugo Kuipers’ ball from the left side of the penalty area into the middle of the box bounced off a defender’s foot and in front of the goalkeeper, where he picked it up from behind and struck it with his left foot to rattle the net.
In the fourth minute of the second half, with the score tied 1-1, he slotted home a left-footed mid-range shot to seal the win. It was a technically brilliant shot that he placed into the corner of the goal as if he had measured it with a ruler.
This goal comes about a week after his goal against Apoel Nicosia (Cyprus) in the first leg of the UEFA Europa Conference playoffs on May 25. His scoring pace has picked up compared to last season, when he had six goals and six assists in the league.
One of Hong’s biggest strengths has been his ability to play all over the midfield, from central midfield to attacking and defensive midfield. He also has a keen eye for goal and has proven his worth. Lee Kang-in (22-Paris Saint-Germain) is also worth considering as an option to spearhead the offense when second-choice options like Lee are injured or underperforming.
Hwang Hee-chan (27, Wolverhampton) also came off the bench to score his second league goal at Crystal Palace. After starting the match against Everton on March 26, Hwang was substituted at the start of the second half due to a hamstring injury, and his goal erased the shadow of injury hanging over the A’s forward line.
Striker Kyu-sung Cho, 25, who plays for Midtjylland (Denmark), earned the highest rating for his first assist of the day, playing until the 41st minute of the second half in the Danish Superliga’s Round 7 home match against Aarhus at the MCH Arena in Herning, Denmark. Cho Kyu-sung helped his team to a 1-1 draw. 바카라
Celtic’s Oh Hyun-kyu and Yang Hyun-joon, who were also selected by Klinsmann, came off the bench side by side in the team’s 1-0 victory over Scottish Premiership fourth-round “rivals” Rangers at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland. Oh, who suffered a calf injury in early August, also made his first appearance in over a month to get some match practice under his belt before joining the national team.
Wales, the first opponent in Europe, will be a formidable opponent for Korea as they have a number of members of the Qatar 2022 World Cup squad, including Aaron Ramsey (Cardiff) and Ben Davies (Tottenham). Their second opponents, Saudi Arabia, have recently made a leap forward with the appointment of former Italy international Roberto Mancini at the helm.
However, with a number of European strikers in fine form, expectations are high for Klinsmann’s first win.