Hwang Hee-chan returns to starting XI as Wolves launch Korean ticketing

Football

Published: 21 Apr. 2024, 16:07 Updated: 21 Apr. 2024, 16:13

Hwang Hee-chan returns to starting XI as Wolves launch Korean ticketing

Wolverhampton Wanderers' Hwang Hee-chan, left, vies with Arsenal's William Saliba at the Molineux in Wolverhampton, England on Saturday. [AFP/YONHAP]

WOLVERHAMPTON, England — Hwang Hee-chan made his first start since February for Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, playing the first 50 minutes in a tepid 2-0 loss to Arsenal at the Molineux in Wolverhampton, England as the club launched a new ticketing package for its Korean fans.

Hwang failed to make much of an impact in his 50 minutes — lasting five minutes longer than manager Gary O’Neil predicted ahead of the game — as Wolves failed to get much past a pressing Arsenal defense.

Leandro Trossard put the visitors ahead minutes before the end of the first half, with Martin Odegaard adding No. 2 in stoppage time at the end of the second.

Although it was the Odegaard goal that sealed the win for Arsenal, it was Trossard who took Wolves out of the game.

The home side — clear underdogs in a game that Arsenal started in second place on the Premier League table and ended, however briefly, in first place — had looked confident at times in the first half, holding their own from the 20th to the 40th minute when they even managed to take the game deep into the Arsenal half.

But Trossard’s goal sucked the life out of the Wolves offense, and the side that returned to the pitch after the break lacked any of the brief moments of fire visible in the first half, falling flat on the attack and struggling to contain an increasingly confident Arsenal offense.

Odegaard delivered the final nail in the coffin, but the game was already over.

Saturday's result could prove crucial for Arsenal, who are currently locked in a three-way fight for the Premier League title with Manchester City and Liverpool. A loss could well have taken Arsenal out of the running completely, while the win lifts them to first place in the league, albeit with both Manchester City and Liverpool still to play on Sunday.

Wolves manager O'Neil remained positive despite the defeat.

"It was an incredible performance and one of my favorites, considering how tough I thought it was going to be for us," O'Neil said in a post-match press conference. "For the lads to show the togetherness, the commitment and the workrate to push Arsenal as hard as we did, I thought it was an incredible effort from everyone.

"I’m very proud, although disappointed with the second goal, especially that it was really soft, and we didn’t deserve to lose 2-0. One-nil and not being able to score would probably have been the worst it could have been for us, but to lose the second one was really disappointing, but I’m really proud.

"It was an unbelievable performance and I can’t believe how well the lads did really with how short we are. Channy [Hwang] was just able to do more than 45, Mario [Lemina] came on as a number nine and did well as a nine, so it was an enjoyable evening which you don’t usually get if you lose, but I really enjoyed watching the lads, and I’m sure the supporters did as well.”

Koreans in Europe: Hwang Hee-chan out for six weeks with hamstring injury

Saturday's match also marked the debut of a new ticketing service for Wolves' Korean fans.

Thousands of Korean fans have flocked to the Molineux in Wolverhampton, England since Hwang signed with Wolverhampton in 2021, braving English ticketing websites and questionable unauthorized resellers for a chance to see the Bull in action in the Premier League.

As of Saturday’s game against Arsenal, when Hwang made his first start for the club since February, that process became a lot easier. Wolves launched a special ticketing package for Korean fans offering a way to purchase tickets in Korean — and seats in a special section to make a trip to Molineux worthwhile for traveling fans.

In the Premier League and elsewhere, including in Korea's K League, season ticket-holders who book specific seats in their club's stadium for the entirety of a season generally know whom to expect as their neighbors. That kind of camaraderie is embedded within football, much like the groups of dedicated, strong-armed fans who wave about ostentatious flags, blocking views of the pitch but adding to the matchday atmosphere in storied stadiums.

Now, Korean fans can sit together in the stands through the special ticketing package, available for purchase through the official Wolves app. It includes a ticket to the game in a special section for Korean fans, entrance to the Wolves museum, a gift card for the shop and international membership to the club.

"If I see Korean fans in Wolverhampton it makes me really proud and it’s an honor," Hwang said in English in comments published on the Wolves website last week. "I want to keep doing well for them and for our local fans.”

Wolverhampton Wanderers' Hwang Hee-chan celebrates scoring a goal against Manchester City at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, England on September 30, 2023. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

A small group of Korean fans used the promotion, which has not yet been advertised but is available on a newly-launched Korean-language app, on Saturday.

Wolves play two more Premier League games this week, against Bournemouth on Wednesday and Luton Town on Saturday. Both games will be at home at the Molineux.

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