Yang Hyun-joon and Bae Jun-ho score 2nd goals

Young strikers Yang Hyun-joon of Celtic FC and Bae Jun-ho of Stoke City FC scored their second goals in their league ahead of the South Korean national soccer team's two consecutive A-matches scheduled for next month.

In the 2024-2025 Scottish Premiership (top flight) season opener against Aberdeen FC on Wednesday, Yang was fielded as a substitute at the 14th minute in the second half when his team was leading 3-0, and scored a goal 13 minutes later to make it 4-0, helping his team secure a landslide 5-1 victory. Yang now has two goals and two assists in the league this season.

With the win, Celtic advanced to 72 points (23 wins, three draws, two losses) and extended their lead at the top of the table to 16 points over second-place Rangers FC (56 points). If Celtic wins this season, they will tie Rangers FC for the most wins in Scottish professional soccer (55 wins).

On the same day, Bae started as a left striker in the 2024-2025 English Championship (second flight) home game against Middlesbrough FC, scoring the equalizer in the 45th minute in the first half when his team was trailing 1-0. It was Bae's second goal in the league, which he netted 10 days after scoring his first against Swansea City FC on February 16. Bae has two goals and five assists in league play this season.

Despite Bae's equalizer, Stoke City conceded two second-half goals and eventually lost 1-3. The loss drops Stoke City (35-8 wins, 11 draws, 15 losses) to 20th in the league.


김정훈 hun@donga.com