Yang Hyun-jun shines, scores first league goal

Yang Hyun-jun, who has recently transitioned to a fullback role, scored his first regular-season goal of the campaign.

Yang, who plays for Celtic, found the net on Dec. 28 in an away match against Livingston in the 2025-26 Scottish Premiership. He equalized in the 10th minute of the first half, pulling his team level at 1-1 after Celtic had gone behind. In a crowded goalmouth scramble, Yang threw himself forward and steered the ball home with his right foot, ending his scoring drought in his 12th league appearance of the season. Celtic went on to score twice more in the second half to secure a 4-2 victory.

Primarily a winger, Yang has been deployed as a fullback since Wilfried Nancy of France took charge of Celtic on Dec. 4. Nancy favors a three-back system that features three central defenders at the back. In this formation, fullbacks are required to push forward aggressively and contribute to the attack. According to football statistics outlet FotMob, Yang recorded three shots while also completing three clearances, delivering a solid performance both offensively and defensively.

The South Korean national team, which will compete in the 2026 North and Central American World Cup finals, also uses a three-back formation. Attention is now focused on whether Yang, who had gone without a call-up under head coach Hong Myung-bo for some time, can return to the national team as a fullback and compete for a starting role. Yang has not been selected since the World Cup Asian third-round qualifying match against Kuwait in June, which took place before his positional change.


한종호 기자 hjh@donga.com