Koreans in Europe: Hwang Hee-chan gets double before injury pulls him off pitch

Hwang Hee-chan scored a double to lead Wolverhampton Wanderers to a huge 4-1 win against Brentford on Wednesday but left the pitch before halftime after exhibiting pain on his back. Manager Gary O'Neil said after the match it was a back spasm.

Wolverhampton Wanderers' Hwang Hee-chan celebrates scoring a goal during a Premier League match against Brentford at Gtech Community Stadium in Brentford, England on Wednesday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Hwang Hee-chan scored a double to lead Wolverhampton Wanderers to a huge 4-1 win against Brentford on Wednesday but left the pitch before halftime after exhibiting pain on his back.

Hwang continued his impressive form at Gtech Community Stadium in Brentford, England, picking up goals No. 9 and 10 of the 2023-24 season.

The brace lifts Hwang's scoring record in a single Premier League season to the double-digits for the very first time, having made his league debut with Wolves in 2021. He is also now the league’s sixth-top scorer with 10 goals in 19 fixtures, falling one goal behind fourth-top scorer Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur.

Wednesday’s match saw a strong performance from Wolves overall, with three goals coming from the visitors in the first half.

A minute after Wolves’ Mario Lemina opened the scoring with a header in the 13th minute, Hwang exploited defender Nathan Collins’ mistimed pass to goalkeeper Mark Flekken and slotted in a ball to make it 2-0.

Brentford put one back with Yoane Wissa’s goal in the 16th minute, but Hwang stood up again in the 28th minute and scored his second with a clinical finish to make it 3-1.

Jeanricner Bellegarde’s goal in the 79th minute then sealed Wolves’ 4-1 victory, but Hwang could not see the team’s final goal on the pitch, as he was substituted off before halftime after seeming to hurt his back.

Wolves manager Gary O’Neil, however, said after the match that Hwang’s injury is not severe.

“Back spasm. He'll be fine for the [Asian] Cup, hopefully, we can get him back for our game as well against Everton,” O’Neil said. “It's a tight turnaround but only a back spasm and he is moving slightly better now than when he came off, so let's see how he does these next couple days.”

If Hwang’s injury forces him to miss a couple of games, that's a red light for both Wolves and the Korean national team.

Not only is Hwang Wolves’ top scorer this season, but the Asian Cup is set to begin on Jan. 12.

Hwang is a regular forward pick on the national team alongside Son. If Hwang cannot play in the Asian Cup due to injury, national team manager Jurgen Klinsmann may have to choose another forward for the tournament.

As of press time, Klinsmann was due to announce the final Asian Cup roster.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]