South Korea’s Hwang Hee-chan & Son Heung-min heading into AFC Asian Cup 2023 on top form

Son Heung-min scored against A.F.C. Bournemouth.

Thailand’s Suphanat Mueanta bagged his first goal following his loan move from Buriram United to OH Leuven in a 3-0 victory against Eupen on Tuesday as the 21-year-old became the first player from his country to score in the Belgian top division. 

Kyogo Furuhashi once again proved to be the difference in the Old Firm derby as his seventh goal against Rangers of 2023 helped Celtic record a 2-1 victory against their rivals and extend their lead at the top of the standings to eight points in Scotland. 

Hwang Hee-chan and Son Heung-min were both on the score sheet in England while Hidemasa Morita supplied an assist for leaders Sporting Lisbon in Portugal.

Suphanat Mueanta came off the bench to seal OH Leuven’s 3-0 win against Jason Davidson’s Eupen on Tuesday, thereby becoming the first player from Thailand to score in the Belgian Pro League. The 21-year-old winger is on loan from Buriram United and has made five substitute appearances for Leuven so far. 

Japanese defensive midfielder Joel Chima Fujita bagged his first goal of the season as he scored for Sint-Truiden, also featuring his compatriots Zion Suzuki and Rihito Yamamoto, in a 1-1 draw with Standard Liege who had Hayao Kawabe and Aiden O’Neill among the starters. 

Socceroos full-back Jordan Bos started for Westerlo as they posted a 3-0 win against Shuto Abe’s RWD Molenbeek while Hong Hyun-seok featured in midfield as Gent overcame KV Kortrijk 2-0. Ryota Morioka started for Charleroi as they beat Indonesia right-back Sandy Walsh’s Mechelen 3-1 on Wednesday. 

Kyogo Furuhashi’s stunning strike from distance proved to be the difference between the sides as Celtic edged Rangers 2-1 in the Old Firm derby on Saturday. The Japanese striker doubled the home side’s lead two minutes into the second half in Glasgow as Celtic extended their lead in the Scottish Premiership to eight points. 

Australian midfielder Calem Nieuwenhof provided an assist as Hearts drew 2-2 against Ross County with Nathaniel Atkinson, Kye Rowles, Kyosuke Tagawa and Yutaro Oda also featuring for the Edinburgh outfit. Keanu Baccus started for St Mirren as they beat Aberdeen 3-0 to get their first win in four matches. 

Hwang Hee-chan scored two goals in 14 first-half minutes as Wolves defeated Saman Ghoddos’ Brentford 4-1 in the Premier League on Wednesday. The Korea Republic international also provided an assist as Gary O’Neil’s side made it a hat-trick of league wins with a 3-0 defeat of Everton on Saturday.  

Son Heung-min was on target late in the second half as Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham Hotspur defeated Bournemouth 3-1 on Sunday as they bounced back from a 4-2 defeat at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion on Thursday, when the Korean winger supplied an assist. 

Japan defensive midfielder Wataru Endo featured as Liverpool overcame Burnley 2-0 on Tuesday before starting again in the Reds’ 4-2 win against Newcastle United on Monday to go three points clear at the summit. 

Hidemasa Morita bagged an assist as Sporting Lisbon edged Portimonense 2-1 on Saturday to stay one point clear at the top of the table in the Portugues top flight. The 28-year-old Samurai Blue midfielder has registered two assists in the last three league fixtures and has also scored once this season. 

Kanya Fujimoto started for Gil Vicente as they posted a 1-0 win against Boavista, who featured his Japanese compatriot Masaki Watai as a substitute. Iraq’s Osama Rashid was also a substitute for Vizela as they were held to a goalless draw against Moreirense on Saturday. 

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