South Korea's 'brave' Hwang Ui-Jo lifts Bordeaux to victory again
An early brace from South Korea striker Hwang Ui-Jo powered Bordeaux to a 2-1 home win over Angers in Ligue 1 on Sunday.
The hosts' coach Jean-Louis Gasset played Hwang as the focal point of his attack again Sunday after their 3-0 win at Nice last week where the former Gamba Osaka forward also opened the scoring.
At the Matmut Atlantique he poached the first goal with great wile after eight minutes, before slotting the ball hard under the diving 'keeper for the second after just 11 minutes to make him his side's top league scorer with five goals so far this season.
"I'm happy for Hwang and his two goals, he never hesitates to drift wide. He's a brave player, finding his feet," Gasset said of the player who has little French language skills.
"He is great on the counter and a wonderful player to coach," Gasset said in praise of the player who had a quiet first season in 2019-2020 scoring six goals.
The hard-working, smiley Hwang has not always played in his preferred centre-forward slot with Bordeaux playing him on both left and right before realising he was a great foil for the playmaker Hatem Ben Arfa because of his willingness to drop deep and run at goal, as he did for his second.
Bordeaux's performance fell away with the two goal cushion but they held on for a win that lifted them above Angers and into seventh place in Ligue 1, a position built on 11 clean-sheets.
Sunday's main action takes place with a grudge match between bitter regional rivals Saint Etienne and Lyon, while second placed Lille host fifth placed Rennes.