Wolverhampton won 1-0 with Hwang Hee-chan’s first goal in the 42nd minute of the first half in the 15th round of the 2023/24 season Premier League against Burnley at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, England on the 6th (Korea time). Wolverhampton, who scored three points with Hwang Hee-chan’s goal, ranked 12th with five wins, three draws and seven losses and 18 points. Hwang Hee-chan, who played the ace role with seven goals and two assists in the league before this game, started as a front-line two-top with Matheus Cunha on the same day and aimed for Burnley’s goal.
Although Burnley succeeded in escaping last place by holding Sheffield United 5-0 in the previous round, Hwang Hee-chan’s scoring shot was likely to burst as he was still in 19th place, a relegation zone. The game went unexpected. Wolverhampton rarely had a chance as Burnley led the way throughout the first half. However, Hwang Hee-chan also served as a troubleshooter. He didn’t miss the perfect opportunity that came once and scored.
Pablo Sarabia, who intercepted Burnley’s pass miss, connected to Cunha, who immediately gave it to Hwang Hee-chan, who was in the no-mark position. At this time, the choice of taking a break was good. Hwang Hee-chan tried to shoot after painting once instead of shooting right away. The goalkeeper was deceived by Hwang Hee-chan’s painting, and Hwang Hee-chan pushed it with his right foot to score lightly.
With this goal, Hwang Hee-chan scored his eighth goal in the league, scoring double-digit offensive points for the first time in the league since entering the Premier League. With eight goals and two assists, he surpassed 10 offensive points for the first time, surpassing five goals and one assist in the 2021/22 season and four goals and three assists in the 2022/23 season.
He also tied for fourth in the league’s goal tally. Hwang Hee-chan was on par with Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa and Jared Bohr of West Ham United, who had eight goals.
Burnley’s fierce attack continued in the second half. Wolverhampton also aimed for an additional goal through counterattack. However, no more goals were scored, and Wolverhampton’s victory ended when Hwang Hee-chan’s goal became the winning goal.
After the game, Hwang Hee-chan’s scoring scene became a hot topic. English legend striker Michael Owen highly appreciated Hwang Hee-chan’s calmness in front of the goal.
According to the British news outlet Molineux, which deals with the news of Allverhampton, Owen appeared on Amazon Prime Sports and said, “If (Hwang Hee-chan) had shot early, it would have been blocked. I was able to open the goal because of a very short wait,” adding, “I love Hwang Hee-chan’s performance in front of the goal. Hwang Hee-chan is always in the right position and his shot is hardly missed.” 온라인경마
“It was a really big opportunity, and Hwang Hee-chan took advantage of that opportunity really well,” he said, applauding Hwang Hee-chan’s calmness as he tried to take a break.
Owen grew up in Liverpool when he was an active player and became a top Premier League star. He was the top scorer for two consecutive seasons in 1997/98 and 1998/99 and won the Ballon d’Or award in 2001 for the best player in the world, beating Raul Gonzalez, the star of world-renowned Real Madrid. After moving to Real Madrid and taking on a new challenge, Owen failed and moved to Newcastle before returning to the Premier League.
Having failed to show remarkable performance even at Newcastle, Owen moved to Manchester United and played with the number 7, which symbolized the ace. Since then, he has announced his retirement from Stoke City and is currently a commentator.
While playing in the Premier League, he scored 150 goals and 39 assists in 326 matches, and scored 40 goals in 89 matches for the English national team, making him one of the best strikers in England. In particular, he holds the title of the last England player to win the Ballon d’Or.
Even in this way, Hwang Hee-chan’s score against Burnley was a score that had no choice but to applaud.
Molineux News wrote, “Wolverhampton didn’t start the game very well. Everything was very normal. However, Hwang Hee-chan scored before halftime, and Hwang Hee-chan received praise from one of the best goal scorers of all time in the Premier League.”
“The star, who is paid 30,000 pounds (about 49.8 million won) a week, scored a brilliant winning goal. It was a great choice to wait a little while to establish himself and secure a shooting space. It was a fantastic composure,” he said. “Wolverhampton wasted his chance in front of the goalpost, but Hwang Hee-chan has the ability to score when he gets in the right position. Hwang Hee-chan has received a lot of praise for what he is doing,” he said, adding that Hwang Hee-chan, who is paid very little, is showing the best decision-making power in his team.