'World Cup Hero' Hwang Hee-chan collapsed again, North Korea, China and the U.S. are only 4 months away... Hong Myung-bo Team 'Super bad news'

*This content was translated by AI.

It is also better than rain for the Korean national soccer team. With about four months left before the 2026 FIFA North-China World Cup, key striker Hwang Hee-chan (30, Wolverhampton Wanderers) collapsed due to injury.

Hwang Hee-chan's team, Wolverhampton, was completely defeated by Chelsea 1-3 in the 25th round of the English Premier League (EPL) in the 2025-2026 season at Molineux Stadium in England on the 8th (Korea time).

Wolverhampton, which has been mired in a three-game losing streak due to the loss, remained in 20th place, the lowest with one win, five draws and 19 losses. The gap with Nottingham Forest (26 points), ranked 17th, which is the remaining Maginot line, has widened to 18 points.

South Korea's main striker Hwang Hee-chan cried due to the bad luck of his injury. Hwang Hee-chan, who started as a side striker, collapsed around the 43rd minute of the first half complaining of muscle pain.

Immediately after the injury, Hwang Hee-chan seemed to feel the replacement out. Hwang Hee-chan, who showed his disappointment by slumping on the ground and hitting the ground, was eventually replaced by Radislav Krejic and finished the game.

Wolverhampton collapsed, allowing Chelsea's Cole Palmer a hat-trick in the first half alone. Palmer scored a penalty kick in the 13th and 35th minutes in a row in the first half, and then scored his third goal in the 38th minute of the first half. Wolverhampton chased down Tulu Arcodare in the 9th minute of the second half with one goal back, but finished the game without an additional goal.

Meanwhile, Hwang Hee-chan's injury is also a major negative factor for Hong Myung-bo, about four months before the North Korea-China World Cup. The South Korean national team is already struggling with the formation of the squad due to long-term injuries to central midfielders Park Yong-woo and Won Doo-jae.

In particular, there is about a month left until the A-match period, which is scheduled to be convened at the end of March, which is like a mock test for the North Korea-China World Cup. Hwang Hee-chan's recovery is expected to be a hot topic in the formation of the national team's offense.

However, Hwang Hee-chan's injury frequency is quite serious. In October 2024, Hwang Hee-chan collapsed due to an ankle injury during the A-match period and missed for more than a month. According to "Transfermarkt," a statistical media outlet, he missed three games in September last year after taking 19 days off due to a hamstring injury. Even in October, I injured my calf and took four days off.

South Korea desperately needs the revival of Hwang Hee-chan, who has a shot. Hwang Hee-chan scored the final goal (2-1 win) in the second half against Portugal at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, leading South Korea to the round of 16, proving to be strong in big games. Hwang Hee-chan even stepped up and scored a delightful shot at the end of the quarterfinals of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup, claiming to be a penalty kicker.

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*This content was translated by AI.