Yang Min-hyeok, who led South Korea's men's under-23 football team to gold at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, scored his first goal for his club in his first match after returning.
Westerlo, the Belgian Pro League club where Yang plays, beat Royal Antwerp 5-1 on the 11th in the eighth round of the 2026-27 season at its home ground, Het Kuipje.
Yang came on in the 85th minute with the team leading 4-1, replacing attacking midfielder Issa Sakamoto, and scored 11 minutes later in the sixth minute of second-half stoppage time.
The goal showcased Yang's trademark speed. On a counterattack, he collected a long throw from the goalkeeper while surging up the right flank, then beat a defender who stepped in front of him. He fired a left-footed shot from outside the penalty box without hesitation to find the net. It was his first goal in three appearances this season.
Yang's clinching goal completed the rout and extended Westerlo's winning streak to four. The club climbed to sixth in the league with a record of four wins, one draw and three losses for 13 points.
Yang joined English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur in January 2025 and has since had loan spells at Queens Park Rangers, Portsmouth and Coventry City, all in England's second tier. Westerlo is his fourth loan club.
At the Asian Games final, Yang set up the winning goal by Oum Ji-sung, who plays for Swansea City, to help secure the gold medal. His comments in an interview shortly after the victory drew criticism, however, when he said, "I thought medals and trophies weren't important. There was the reward of military service exemption, and I think I played with only that in mind."