Cho Gue-sung scores another one on return to Midtjylland

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Cho Gue-sung scores another one on return to Midtjylland

Published: 17 Sep. 2023, 09:38 Updated: 17 Sep. 2023, 16:20

JIM BULLEY
jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr

FC Midtjylland celebrate Cho Gue-sung's goal against Viborg on Friday in a post on the club's official X, formerly Twitter, account. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Cho Gue-sung scored of the week on Friday, heading in the opening goal for FC Midtjylland just three days after he secured Korea their first win of the year on Tuesday.

Cho scored in the 52nd minute of a Danish SuperLiga game against Viborg at Viborg Stadium in Viborg, Denmark, sprinting into the box to convert a long cross with a powerful bouncing header.

Korea 1-0 Saudi Arabia as Jurgen Klinsmann finally gets a win

That effort broke the stalemate, kicking off a flurry of goals.

Viborg tied things up just five minutes later with a goal from Serginho, with Midtjylland’s Franculino Dju putting the visitors up again 20 minutes later.
Viborg bounced back quickly, adding one more of their own in the final 10 minutes of the game to tie the score at 2-2.

With the draw, Midtjylland are still stuck in the middle of the SuperLiga table, sitting in sixth place as of press time Sunday with 11 points.

Cho, who joined Midtjylland from K League side Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors over the summer, has got off to a fast start to the Danish club.

He has scored five goals across all competitions and picked up one assist, missing three games shortly before the international break due to an injury. Three of those five goals came in his first three league games in Denmark, setting him up as an immediate fan favorite at the club.

Cho, 25, came to prominence at last year’s World Cup when he scored two goals against Ghana in a group stage game and became the first ever Korean player to score a brace in a World Cup match.

He received offers in January from Scottish Premier Ship side Celtic, Bundesliga team Mainz 05 and Major League Soccer club Minnesota United.

But Cho opted not to move in the January transfer window, staying in Korea for the start of the 2023 K League season with an agreement with Jeonbuk that he would seek a move in the summer.

That move ended up being to Midtjylland and has clearly paid dividends for the young forward.

Following his World Cup success, Cho has also become a regular on the Korean national team and has increasingly been picked as a starter under manager Jurgen Klinsmann.

Cho paid Klinsmann back in style last week, heading in the only goal in Korea’s 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia — Klinsmann’s much-needed first victory at the helm of the Korean team.

Cho and the Midtjylland squad now have a full week to get back into the swing of things, with their next SuperLiga game not scheduled until Sept. 24 against OB.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]