One of the biggest contributors to the Hangzhou Asian Games journey is undoubtedly Jung Woo-young (Stuttgart).
According to Yonhap News Agency, Hwang Sun-hong, who won the men’s soccer title at the Hangzhou Asian Games to win his third consecutive title, scored 27 goals. Of these, Jung Woo-young scored eight goals alone.
The “nutritional value” of his goals was also high.
It was Jung Woo-young who opened the tournament for Hwang Seon-hong.
In the first match of the tournament, against Kuwait, Jung opened the scoring just three minutes into the first group game.
Thanks to a hat trick in the 45th minute of the first half and three minutes into the second half, Hwang Seonhongho won the first match 9-0.
The record-breaking victory seemed to signal that it would be smooth sailing from there.
In the match against Uzbekistan, which was considered the “biggest test” of her gold medal run, she was on fire.
Hwang won the game 2-1, with all of the goals coming from his toes.
It was in this match that Jung really came into his own.
Jung Woo-young only needed two shots to score his two goals in this game. In addition, he had the ball for no more than two seconds in each of his two goals.
Five minutes into the game against Uzbekistan, Jung headed a cross from Uhm Won-sang (Ulsan) into the net, and in the 38th minute of the first half, when the score was tied at 1-1, he headed a ball that the defense missed.
For the second goal, Jung was again “found” in the box.
He was behind the penalty spot when Lee Kang-in’s (Paris Saint-Germain) left-footed cross was blocked by the opposing defense and the ball trickled down to the halfway line.
When the ball was fed back into the penalty box, suddenly he was all alone in the box. The other players were motionless, staring at the ball.
Baek Seung-ho’s headed pass sailed past Lee Han-beom (Meatwillan), Saidzamat Mirsaydov and Asadbek Rakhimzonov, who were competing for the ball, to Jung Woo-young.
With no one in his way, Jung appeared in front of the ball and flicked it past the goalkeeper to make it 2-1. Hwang Seon-hong held on to the score and defeated Uzbekistan to reach the final.
In the highly anticipated final, Jung Woo-young’s “one shot” saved the day.
Trailing 0-1 in the 27th minute, Hwang Jae-won (Daegu) rattled the Japanese goal with a header after a cross came over the top of the defense. After the hard-fought equalizer, Hwang Seon-hong-ho scored the game-winning goal 11 minutes into the second half through Cho Young-wook (Gimcheon).
This ability to be productive without the ball is one of Jung Woo-young’s greatest strengths.
His physical strength allows him to move around a lot.
His short-distance sprinting is also fast, making it difficult for defenders to keep up with him.
It’s a weapon he’s honed over the course of his European career.
After joining Bayern Munich in 2018, Jung switched to Freiburg in 2019, where he played for four years before joining Stuttgart (Germany) this summer.
It’s already his fifth year in the Bundesliga, which is considered one of the best leagues in the world. To survive among players from all over the world, Jung has developed into a player who contributes to the team even without the ball.
Even with a stellar attacking lineup, Hwangsun Hongho needed a player who could beat defenders and finish his teammates’ passes and crosses.
On his way to scoring eight goals, Jung Woo-young only dribbled twice.
On his second goal against Kuwait, he accelerated past a defender and dribbled twice.
The rest of the time, he simply used his head and feet to finish chances created by his teammates.
Jung Woo-young was also honored as the top scorer of the Asian Games.
Korea has had three top scorers in men’s soccer at the Asian Games.
Seo Jung-won (4 goals) in 1990, Hwang Sun-hong (11 goals) in 1994, and Hwang Eui-jo (9 goals) in 2018, and Jung Woo-young joined the ranks of the seniors.
The experience of winning the tournament with his best performance was a special one for him.
With his gold medal and military service benefits, he has set the stage for a long career on the European stage.
He can now focus on his soccer career without worrying about the future.
German sports outlet Kicker reported on May 5 that Stuttgart is also looking forward to the news of Jung’s gold medal.
“If he wins, he can be released from military service. Both the athlete (Jung Woo-young) and the club (Stuttgart) will be relieved of their worries.”
Jung Woo-young wore the No. 7 jersey in the tournament.
It is the number of Son Heung-min (Tottenham), an iconic South Korean soccer player and ace of the A team. 파워볼분석