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The World Cup isn’t brief on magic, and at the moment, South Korea wanted some.
After conceding an early aim to Portugal within the recreation’s first half, the Reds had fought again to stage the match that might ship them to the knockout levels of the competitors. But a tie wouldn’t be adequate. They wanted a aim. 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 crew, 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 fitting place on the proper time, tapping a ball into the again of the online to seal the win towards Watford. Three matches later, brilliance once more, as his knack for ending noticed him internet two objectives—together with the winner—towards Newcastle United.
But accidents hampered Hwang’s promising begin. The objectives dried up. In truth, he hasn’t scored in additional than 25 league and cup fixtures for Wolves. His tendency to choose up accidents as a minimum opportune moments surfaced once more simply earlier than the World Cup.
Until at the moment, Hwang had not seen the pitch since a slender 1–0 victory towards Leeds United within the Carabao Cup in early November; there was fear within the South Korean camp that he would miss out on the match altogether. Every week in the past, simply earlier than South Korea performed Ghana in its second match of the World Cup, the Korea Football Association shared a publish on Instagram displaying Hwang operating once more throughout coaching. But after he did not characteristic within the recreation, it appeared that these worst fears is perhaps realized.
As these ideas knowledgeable my audible expression, Hwang entered the match. He appeared vivid from the start, displaying flashes of his pace and skill with the ball at his toes. With Uruguay main Ghana 2–0—which means that the South Koreans would end group play in third place and be eradicated, until they scored—the Koreans pushed ahead at each likelihood that they had, usually leaving their again line uncovered by committing so many gamers towards Portugal’s aim.
Then the wizardry Korea wanted arrived. In the 91st minute, Heung-min Son, Korea’s captain and a star ahead for the English Premier League’s Tottenham Hotspur, raced up the fitting wing after a Portugal nook kick fell to his toes. 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 aim. Bedlam. The digital camera panned the group because the Korean followers’ pleasure welled into puddles below their eyes.
This is the second time in twenty years that South Korea has gone by way of to the World Cup knockout levels by beating Portugal on the ultimate day of group play. In 2002, South Korea gained 1–0 and went on to get pleasure from its most profitable match within the crew’s World Cup historical past. Lining up throughout from them on the sphere that day within the early aughts was the coach of this yr’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 performed all it may to maneuver ahead within the competitors. I can solely think about what Son and Hwang’s second of magic has performed for a brand new technology of Korean soccer followers.