Sheffield United get welcome boost as winger delivers timely reminder of his quality in stunning international break win
Tahith Chong scored shortly after coming off the bench as Curaçao completed a stunning comeback, offering Sheffield United an encouraging reminder of what he can bring.
Tahith Chong provided Sheffield United with another timely reminder of his quality as he marked his return from injury with a superb goal for Curaçao overnight. The winger made his comeback off the bench in Saturday’s defeat at Stoke City.
And he took another big step forward in his bid for full fitness as he was introduced as a substitute and helped his country overturn a three-goal deficit to beat Costa Rica 4-3 in the CONCACAF Nations League.
Curaçao looked dead and buried at half-time after falling 3-0 behind, but Chong was introduced in the 57th minute and needed just nine minutes to make his mark with a superb effort into the far corner from just outside the box.
Earlier Kenji Gorré had pulled one back before Chong struck in the 66th minute. Gorré then levelled 12 minutes later before Jordi Paulina completed the remarkable turnaround four minutes later.
Footage of Chong’s strike will have gone down well at United, with the former Manchester United man offering a welcome injury boost after missing most of the season so far.
His absence has increased the workload of teenage loanee Romelle Donovan down the United right, while United need to discover greater creativity and more fluency in possession when they return to Championship action after the international break.
Chong offers another option in both regards. He was widely expected to leave the Lane in the summer but showed signs of seizing his second chance in pre-season with a couple of goals. He was on a high after his country’s World Cup adventure and wanted to build on that, before another untimely injury stunted his progress.
The timing of his return to fitness and form could hardly be better, with United using the international break to recover, improve with and without the ball and get their injured players - including Harrison Burrows, Femi Seriki and Ryan One - closer to full fitness before Lincoln City visit Bramall Lane on October 10.