Kwon scores 10th goal for France’s Dijon FCO

Dijon FCO’s Kwon Chang-hoon became the first Korean in seven years to rack up 10 goals in a season in the top French football league after scoring against En Avant Guingamp.

Kwon scored the opening goal in Dijon’s 3-1 win over Guingamp at Gaston Gerard Stadium in Dijon, France, on Sunday. It was Kwon’s 10th goal in 32 matches this season in the French Ligue 1.

The 23-year-old is now the second Korean to score at least 10 goals in Ligue 1 after Park Chu-young, who bagged 12 goals in the 2010-11 season with AS Monaco. Kwon collected his 10th goal in the 34th minute after he found the net with his left foot following a through ball by Valentin Rosier.

Dijon conceded an equalizer in the 57th after Felix Eboa Eboa scored with a header. The hosts, however, went ahead eight minutes later. Following a corner kick, the ball hit Kwon and went on to Cedric Yambere, who put the ball in the net for a 2-1 lead. Dijon further punished the visitors with Naim Sliti’s goal in the second half’s stoppage time.

Kwon made his professional debut with the Suwon Samsung Bluewings in Korea in 2013 after playing for Suwon’s youth team at Mae Tan High School. During his four years with the youth team, Kwon played in 109 games, recording 22 goals and nine assists.

Once Kwon turned professional, he played a leading role in helping Suwon win the 2016 Korea FA Cup and finished runner-up in the 2014 and 2015 K League Classic seasons.

Continuing his success, Kwon was called up by the Korean national team to compete at the 2015 East Asian Cup and made his international debut playing against China.

On Sept. 3, 2015, he scored his first goal for the national team during a World Cup qualifying match against Laos. He was lauded by the team for his smart plays and strong work ethic. During the 2016 Rio Olympics, he helped Korea advance to the quarterfinals by scoring two goals under head coach Shin Tae-yong. Within less than a year, he was called up to the national football team again to help in their remaining World Cup qualifiers.

Kwon signed a three-year contract with Dijon in January, with 1.2 million euros ($1.4 million) in transfer fees.

BY KANG YOO-RIM, YONHAP [kang.yoorim@joongang.co.kr]