Koo Young-hoe scores a game-winning field goal in the NFL

The 21-yard field goal of Atlanta Falcons kicker Koo Young-hoe lifted the Falcons to victory and prevented the team from losing three times in a row two seconds before the end of the game.

The Falcons walked off with a win, a 20-19 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium with Koo’s two field goals.

The Falcons gained the lead on Koo’s 27-yarder to take a 17-16 lead with 9:36 remaining in the game. After the Cardinals responded with a 19-17 lead, Koo's 21-yard field goal on the final play led to the victory. In American football, if the offensive team fails to move these 10 yards within four downs, possession is given up, and the defensive side gets their turn to play offense. If less than 50 yards remain to the goal post, and it is difficult to make a touchdown (six points), the offensive team will try to score a field goal (three points) by kicking the ball directly even if it has possession.

Koo Young-hoe, who was born in Seoul in 1994 and immigrated to the U.S. in the sixth grade of elementary school, is currently considered the top kicker in the NFL. He played in the Pro Bowl (All-Star Game) with a field goal success rate of 94.9% in the 2020 season and is recording 85.3% this season. Ahead of this season, he signed a five-year, 24.25-million-dollar contract with the Atlanta Falcons.

Meanwhile, Atlanta failed to advance to the postseason as it fell to the bottom of the Southern Division of the National Football League (NFC) with six wins and 10 losses this season. Atlanta will have the final game of Week 18 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, led by NFL quarterback Tom Brady.


Hong-Gu Kang windup@donga.com