South Korean football star Kwon Chang-hoon has scored his first goal of the season in France following his long-awaited return from injury. Kwon, an attacking midfielder for French League 1 club Dijon FCO, scored his side's second goal in their 3-1 win over fourth-tier club SC Schiltigheim in a French Cup round of 64 match at the Stade de l'Aar in Schiltigheim, France, on Saturday (local time).  (Yonhap)With Djion leading 1-0, Kwon fired a left-footed strike in the 72nd minute to help his side r

When the New Year dawns, Paulo Bento, head coach for South Korean men's national football team, will be neither in his native Portugal nor in his adopted country to celebrate the occasion.The 49-year-old coach will be hard at work here in Abu Dhabi, where South Korea are preparing for the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup kicking off in a few days across the United Arab Emirates. The buildup will include a friendly against Saudi Arabia, which starts at 1 a.m. on New Year's Day, Seoul time.

South Korean soccer experienced yet another roller-coaster ride this year as it saw tears, gold and a coaching change under fans’ big expectations. 　The 2018 season is technically not finished for the South Korean men’s national soccer team as it awaits a friendly match against Saudi Arabia in Abu Dhabi on Monday. Still, the Taeguk Warriors went through enough competitions this year to give fans a full plate of ups and downs.　South Korea began this year with tuneup matches for the 2018 FIFA Worl

South Korean pro football club Suwon FC said Thursday they've signed Japan-born North Korean forward An Byong-jun.  Suwon FC said An will play in the K League 2, the second division football league in South Korea, after completing his transfer from Japanese side Roasso Kumamoto. "An is an experienced forward who played more than 100 matches in Japan," Suwon said. "He is also a versatile player, so we believe he can help the team."An is a "Zainichi" -- an ethnic Korean resident in Japan -- who wa

In-form South Korean forward Son Heung-min has scored a double for Tottenham Hotspur again as he continued his run of hot form this month. Son grabbed a brace in Tottenham's 5-0 win over Bournemouth in their English Premier League match at Wembley Stadium in London on Wednesday (local time). With Tottenham leading 1-0, he found the net with his right foot in the 23rd minute following a pass from Kyle Walker-Peters. The 26-year-old then rounded off the scoring for Tottenham in the 70th with his c

Tottenham Hotspur's South Korean forward Son Heung-min has scored his sixth goal of the season in his club's 2-0 win over Arsenal in a domestic cup competition.Son scored Tottenham's opener against Arsenal in their Carabao Cup quarterfinal match at the Emirates Stadium in London on Wednesday (local time). In the 20th minute, he broke the scoreless deadlock with his left foot following a pass from Dele Alli. (Yonhap)This was Son's sixth goal in the 2018-19 season, including his three goals in the

High-scoring forward Hwang Ui-jo has been voted South Korea's top male football player of the year, officials announced Tuesday.The Korea Football Association (KFA) said Hwang, who helped South Korea to the gold medal at this year's Asian Games, topped the voting by the media and the KFA's election committee.Hwang led all players at the Asian Games with nine goals in seven matches, as South Korea captured their second straight gold medal. Hwang, 26, was one of three overage players at the Asian

For some South Korean football fans, Al Rayyan may be a familiar name. Al Rayyan SC, one of the most popular football clubs in Qatar, has a history of signing South Korean players. Veteran center back Cho Yong-hyung played with them from 2010 to 2014, and now former FC Seoul midfielder Koh Myong-jin is with the eight-time Qatar Stars League champions. This computer generated image provided by Qatar`s Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy shows what Al Rayyan Stadium and its auxiliary facilitie

FC Barcelona great Xavi Hernandez said Saturday he believes it was "unfair" to have his former teammate Lionel Messi finish fifth on the Ballon d'Or ballot.Xavi, who is now with Qatari side Al Sadd, made the remarks during Saturday's media interview at the design launch ceremony for Lusail Stadium, the venue of the opening and closing matches of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Doha. The 38-year-old midfielder said he couldn't understand how Messi finished so low in a vote for football's top individua

South Korea will face the winner of a Southeast Asian football championship in a friendly match next spring, officials said Saturday.The East Asian Football Federation and the ASEAN Football Federation reached an agreement Saturday in Hanoi, Vietnam, to pit the winners of their respective regional tournaments against each another every two years. The one-and-done showdown will be called the AFF-EAFF Champions Trophy. In this photo provided by the Korea Football Association, Chung Mong-gyu (right

Tottenham's Son Heung-min has won the Premier League Goal of the Month for November, with his stunning goal against Chelsea, according to the Premier League's website Saturday. (Yonhap)The South Korean forward scored his first league goal of the season in the 3-1 win at Wembley Stadium in London on Nov. 24."One of the best goals in my career because it was a London derby, a big game," Son told the Premier League website after receiving his award. "I was so excited to play Chelsea and score such

Son Heung-min's goal against Germany at the 2018 FIFA World Cup has been voted South Korea's goal of the year by fans, the national football governing body said Thursday.The Korea Football Association said Son's goal in South Korea's stunning 2-0 win over Germany in a Group F match in Russia earned 20,448 out of 37,563 votes, or 54.4 percent, to win the top goal honors. This year's KFA fan vote on national football matches was held for 10 days from Dec. 3.Son Heung-min (Yonhap)With South Korea l

South Korean football clubs are turning their eyes to foreign coaches after overseas managers produced impressive results this past season.Jeonnam Dragons said Thursday that five foreigners have been shortlisted for their vacant coaching job. Jeonnam were relegated to the second division K League 2 after finishing last among 12 clubs in the top flight K League 1.  Jeonnam Dragons (Yonhap)"Our priority is to return to the K League 1 next year," Jeonnam CEO Shin Seung-jae said. "Our first option i

South Korean striker Hwang Ui-jo said Wednesday he is looking forward to playing in Europe in the future after having a successful season for his club and the national team.Hwang, who plays for Japanese outfit Gamba Osaka, has been showing red-hot form since the 18th Asian Games in Indonesia, where he was the top scorer of the tournament with nine goals in seven matches and led South Korea's under-23 side to the gold medal. He continued playing at a high level in the J1 League and the internatio

South Korea football coach Paulo Bento said Tuesday that his squad for the upcoming continental tournament is open to all players, urging national team members to stay competitive until the final roster selection.Bento called up 23 players in the southeastern port city of Ulsan to train for the 2019 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, which is scheduled to kick off in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Jan. 5.Bento's roster for the Ulsan training camp doesn't feature Europe or Middle Ea