Yang Min-hyeok scores left-footed goal in stoppage time vs. Antwerp; English media praises Ronaldo-style change of direction
Tottenham's Yang Min-hyeok scored with his left foot in the second-half stoppage time of his loan club Westerlo's match against Antwerp. The writer at Tottenham Hotspur HQ compared his change of direction to Ronaldo's.
Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.
On October 11 local time, at 6:30 p.m., the Belgian Pro League match between Westerlo and Antwerp took place. The regular 90 minutes had already passed. With Westerlo well ahead, stoppage time was running. Then a ball starting from goalkeeper Andreas Jungdal led to a counterattack. At the end of that attack was No. 47 Yang Min-hyeok.
Yang changed direction and finished with his left foot. It was the team's fifth goal, and the final score was 5-1, completed by this goal. The writer for English outlet Tottenham Hotspur HQ mentioned Ronaldo and Son Heung-min together in reference to this goal.
Yang Min-hyeok Antwerp match record: goal in stoppage time after coming on in the 40th minute of the second half
Etoday report and Westerlo official match recordComparing the two shows how the match unfolded. Yang came on for Isa Sakamoto in the 40th minute of the second half. The goal came in the 6th minute of second-half stoppage time. Calculating the gap between the club timeline's 85th-minute substitution and 96th-minute goal, it was about 11 minutes later.
There are also discrepancies between the records. Etoday wrote that Yang was brought on with the score at 4-1. However, the club's official timeline records his substitution in the 85th minute and the team's fourth goal in the 88th minute. The goal time also differs within the club's own page, listed as the 96th and 95th minutes, and Voetbal International recorded it as 90+6 minutes.
Tottenham Hotspur HQ praise: Ronaldo-style change of direction and Son Heung-min-style finish
The praise came from Joe Soriano, a writer for English outlet Tottenham Hotspur HQ. Sports Chosun reported on the 14th that he compared Yang's change of direction to Ronaldo's and was also reported to have praised his composure and finishing. Sports Chosun introduced this assessment with the phrase "skill and composure at the level Tottenham desperately wants to see." However, the original publication date of this assessment is not directly confirmed in LiveScore's published version.
Son Heung-min appeared as a point of comparison for the left-footed finish at the end of the counterattack. However, the same writer said this goal shows potential for growth, while adding that restraint is needed when comparing him with Son Heung-min.
What can be confirmed in the original is one writer's opinion, not a unanimous assessment of the entire British press. The Ronaldo and Son comparisons are also metaphors for a specific scene, not a judgment that the two players are at the same level.
Yang Min-hyeok loan history, Tottenham contract through 2030, and fourth loan
The reason a Tottenham player is playing in Belgium becomes understandable when you look at the contract timeline. Tottenham announced the Westerlo loan on August 12, and the loan period covers the 2026-27 season. The club agreed to sign him in July 2024 and signed him through 2030, and Yang joined the team in January 2025. Since then, his official first-team appearances for Tottenham have been 0 matches.
Yang Min-hyeok club-by-club record (K League 1 from league records, overseas from Wikipedia tallies)
| Club | Period | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gangwon FC | 2024 season | 38 | 12 |
| QPR (loan) | January 2025– | 14 | 2 |
| Portsmouth (loan) | 2025-26 first half | 16 | 3 |
| Coventry City (loan) | 2025-26 second half | 4 | 0 |
| Westerlo (loan) | 2026-27 | 3 | 1 |
At Gangwon he recorded 12 goals in 38 matches, or 0.32 goals per match. The combined total for his four loan clubs is 6 goals in 37 matches, or 0.16 goals per match, about half his Gangwon-era rate. Since the leagues and team circumstances differ, a simple comparison is difficult.
His career also grew during his loan moves. In the 2025-26 season he was part of the Coventry City squad that won the EFL Championship, and at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games he assisted Eom Ji-sung's winning goal in the final against Japan, helping earn the gold medal.
Some matters remain undecided. So far, there is no confirmed evidence that Tottenham has officially evaluated this performance or decided on his return or playing time.
Frequently asked questions
Q. Until when is Yang Min-hyeok's Tottenham contract?
According to Tottenham's announcement, the contract runs through 2030. He agreed to join in July 2024, joined in January 2025, and is currently on loan at Westerlo for the 2026-27 season.
Q. Is the Ronaldo comparison Tottenham's official assessment?
No. It is the personal assessment of Joe Soriano, a writer for Tottenham Hotspur HQ, and an expression comparing a change of direction in a specific scene. No confirmed evidence links it to Tottenham's official assessment or playing-time decisions.
Q. How much was Yang Min-hyeok's transfer fee?
The Standard reported the transfer fee as about 3.5 million pounds when he moved from Gangwon FC to Tottenham in July 2024. This is the media's estimate, not a confirmed amount disclosed by the club.
Related official sites
- Tottenham Hotspur official website — official news and announcements about parent-club loan players
- KVC Westerlo official website — current club's match schedule and official match records
- Belgian Pro League official Westerlo guide — team information provided by the Pro League
- Korea Professional Football League official records for Yang Min-hyeok — confirmed K League 1 records from his Gangwon FC era
Representative image · archival photo · this is not a photo of the current match on-site in the article · Photo=Wikimedia Commons (Explicit), CC BY-SA 4.0
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