Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton Wanderers) of the South Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, was knocked down by a murder tackle. It is unclear whether he will play in the next game as he has been suffering from injury, although his performance on the national team has been brilliant.
The Korea Football Association announced on the 11th that “Hwang Hee-chan and Um Ji-sung will conduct a thorough examination of the injured area on the day, and whether they can call up will be available in the morning of the 12th.”
Hwang Hee-chan started the third Group B match of the 2026 FIFA North-China World Cup (co-hosted by Canada, the U.S. and Mexico) at Amman International Stadium in Jordan on the 10th (Korea time) and withdrew due to injury in the 20th minute of the first half.
Hwang Hee-chan drew attention as a substitute to fill the vacancy of Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur), who failed to join the A-match call-up list in October due to a hamstring injury. Although he does not have his first goal of the season in his team, expectations were high for him as he scored his first goal of the third qualifying round in an away match in Group B against Oman in September.
Hwang Hee-chan collapsed twice under the harsh tackle of Jordanian defense. In the 9th minute of the first half, Hwang Hee-chan’s left foot was pressed by Abdallah Nasip’s tackle and was in considerable pain. My teammates approached and checked the condition, and Hwang In-beom sent a sign saying no by hand to the bench.
First of all, Hwang Hee-chan stood up and stepped on his feet to check his condition and entered the stadium again and continued his play.
However, 10 minutes later, Hwang fell down again. At a similar position in the 20th minute in the first half, he was tackled on both feet by Mohanad Abu Taha. Shocked by his left foot again, he felt pain and eventually escaped to the bench while being helped off. He was replaced by Um Ji-sung.
Um Ji-sung showed a high-quality play by showing the threatening movements that Hwang Hee-chan showed. He played an impressive first half by filling Hwang Hee-chan’s gap and was expected to play well in the second half.
In the third minute of the second half, Um Ji-sung, who was dribbling in the center of the opponent’s box, was hurt by an opponent’s tackle. After failing to get up for a while, he eventually called on a stretcher, but he walked out for now. Immediately on the bench, Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City) was prepared and substituted.
The game ended with South Korea’s 2-0 victory, and Hwang Hee-chan approached the away fans on the back of the national team staff and looked sad.
In a press conference after the match, Hong said, “Hwang Hee-chan had a good start, but unfortunately, he got hurt and came out. The card (Um Ji-sung) that I prepared next was okay, but I was embarrassed because I got hurt. He led the team as well as he prepared. I think he did better than he prepared for the position. It is not easy ahead of the second game. I will go back and check it out accurately.” 안전놀이터
Then, when he returned home through Incheon International Airport the next day, two players, Hwang Hee-chan and Um Ji-sung, appeared in wheelchairs, making it unclear whether they would play in the next game, Iraq.
Meanwhile, the team began to lead Group B with its away victory in Jordan (two wins, one draw, seven points, plus four goals). Iraq (2 wins, one tie, seven points, plus two goals), and South Korea, which has maintained its lead in goal difference, will have a home game against Iraq at 8 p.m. on the 15th at Yongin Mir Stadium. If the team wins the match, it can lead the way by widening the gap with the second-place team.