South Korean international striker Hwang Hee-chan took the field in the opening match of the new English Premier League (EPL) season but was unable to prevent his club Wolverhampton from losing.
Wolverhampton fell to Manchester United 0-1 away in the first round of the 2023-2024 EPL at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, on Friday (Aug. 15).
Hwang Hee-chan came on for Pablo Sarabia in the 18th minute of the second half with the score tied at 0-0.
However, Wolverhampton conceded the game-winning goal to United center back Raphael Varane just 13 minutes after Hwang’s introduction.
With Wolverhampton piled high at the back, defender Baran made his way into the box and headed home an Aaron Wambisaka cross.
Hwang Hee-chan was actively involved in the attack, taking four shots on goal after his introduction, but his finishing was not as precise as it could have been.
After making a few daring breakthroughs, Hwang sent a chill down United’s spine in second-half stoppage time with a left-footed shot after breaking into the right penalty box.
The ball left Hwang’s left foot, hit Wan Bisaka’s foot, deflected and hit the side netting.
According to soccer statistics site Fúscore.com, Hwang has a rating of 6.14.
It was a disappointing start to the new season for Wolverhampton, who had 23 shots on target, eight more than their opponents.
After parting ways with longtime head coach Julen Lopetegui and bringing in Gary O’Neill on the opening day of the season, Wolverhampton’s lack of a ‘goalkeeper’ was particularly evident.
With the departure of last season’s Diego Costa-Adama Traore duo, O’Neill opted for Mateusz Cunha and Sarabia, who often played in the second line, but they failed to rattle the opposition’s net.
For United, it was Cameroon international Andre Onana who shone in David De Gea’s place.
After denying Cunha’s surprise strike 10 minutes into the second half when he drove the ball from the halfway line to the penalty spot, Onana also had to dive to his feet to keep out Fabio Silva’s powerful right-footed strike in the 39th minute.
Onana was named Man of the Match (MVP) by the EPL secretariat. 토토사이트