“I was really happy and honored to wear Heung Min-hyung’s number, but it was also a burden.”
Striker Jung Woo-young (Stuttgart), who exploded for a hat trick in the first match of the Hangzhou Asian Games against Kuwait on the 19th, wore the number 7.
It is the number worn by South Korean soccer icon Son Heung-min for the A team.
For the Hangzhou Asian Games, the number went to Hwang Sun-hong.
On March 3, 16 days after Son scored a hat trick against Burnley in the fourth round of the English Premier League (EPL) in the 2023-2024 season, Jung Woo-young, who wears the same number, accomplished the same feat.
Hwang Sun-hong’s men thrashed Kuwait 9-0 on Sunday at the Jinhua Sports Center Stadium in Zhejiang, China.
Several strikers took turns finding the back of the net, but it was Jung Woo-young who was the most decorated player with three goals.
Even without Hwang Sun-hong’s ace, Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Jung made his presence felt as another key European presence, pounding Kuwait’s flanks from the start.
Jung Woo-young, who started on the left flank, showed his determination in the tournament by rattling the post just three minutes into the match.
As if that wasn’t enough, he completed his hat trick in the 45th minute of the first half to make it 4-0 just three minutes into the second half.
Three minutes later, he almost added a fourth goal when he redirected a pass with a touch from the corner of the penalty box and followed it up with a left-footed shot, but the ball narrowly missed the side netting.
“It felt good as a player to wear Heung Min-hyung’s number and make a good start,” said Jung Woo-young, who met with the media in the joint press area after the game.
“I feel so good. I think the hat-trick helped the team,” said Jung, who also drew comparisons to South Korean striker Hwang Ui-jo (Norwich City).
Hwang also scored a hat trick against Bahrain in his first match at the Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games five years ago.
Hwang played as Kim Hak-Bum’s “ace” and exploded for nine goals in seven games to win the title.
When asked if he was confident of becoming a ‘crazy player’ like Hwang, Jung Woo-young said, “I will focus and practice so that I can score once I get the chance,” and added, “I will try it in the next game.” 스포츠토토