Park Chu-young scores 2 goals in game, sets career high

Soccer striker Park Chu-young has apparently fully recovered from injury by scoring two goals in a game for AS Monaco over the weekend.

The new captain of the national soccer team scored in the 36th minute on a penalty and in the 62nd minute in a 2-2 home draw versus Caen in the French league at Monaco`s Louis II Stadium.

The goals raised his season tally to nine in the league, a career high since Park joined Monaco and matching his performance of eight goals last year including league and cup games.

Park could become the third Korean player to score more than 10 goals in a European league this season. Seol Ki-hyeon was the last to do so with RSC Anderlecht of Belgium, and the first was Cha Bum-kun with Bayer Levekusen of Germany.

Cha scored 17 goals in the 1985-86 season and Seol 12 goals in the 2002-03 season league.

Prior to advancing to Europe, Park scored 12 goals in his pro debut year of 2005 for FC Seoul.

Park is known to have considerably improved his concentration. After returning from injury, he has scored three goals, including two from penalty kicks, in five games starting with a game against Marseille on Jan. 31.

AS Monaco has 12 games left, and if Park scores in each of the remaining games, he could score more than 15 for the season.

His recovery from a knee injury is also welcome news for the Korean national team. Park was injured in a post-goal celebration in December last year in the French league and had to sit out the Asian Cup in Qatar.

Park played all 90 minutes in AS Monaco’s last three games, apparently showing that he has completely recovered from injury.

AS Monaco is 18th in the French league with four wins, 13 ties and eight losses. Though on the brink of relegation, the team is just a point behind 17th-place AJ Auxerre.

creating@donga.com