Yang Hyeon-jun (21, Celtic) made his dream European debut. He came on as a substitute and played 10 extra. It was a short time, but Yang 스포츠토토 Hyun-joon’s presence was revealed and expectations for the future were raised. The scene where he broke through 3 defenders with a reckless dribble breakthrough was the highlight.
Yang Hyun-joon started off the bench in the opening game of the 2023-24 Scottish Premiership (SPL) against Ross Couty held at Celtic Park in Glasgow, Scotland on the 5th (Korean time), and was replaced by Riel Abada in the 34th minute of the second half. It was a European stage debut that I desperately wanted to the point of conflict with my former team Gangwon FC over advancing to Europe.
He showed his presence right after his introduction. After catching the ball from the right side in the 35th minute of the second half, instead of dribbling along the sideline, he boldly hit it into the middle. With his instantaneous speed and skill, he penetrated between three defenders and entered the penalty box. He was unable to get past the last defender and his attacking chances were ruined, but considering it was his European debut, it was definitely a standout try.
Even in the counterattack situation in the 42nd minute of the second half, he played an important role and played a starting point. When the counterattack began, he went straight to the attack, and this time instead of a bold breakthrough, he chose a pass to his teammate Hatate Leo. This pass led to Maeda Daizen’s ground ball cross. The joint counterattack goal between Korea and Japan swallowed regret as the shot was canceled.
Although he couldn’t directly target the opponent’s goal, Yang Hyeon-jun showed his presence in a short time and revealed his future prospects. The pass success rate on this day reached 92% (12 attempts, 11 successes), and he succeeded in touching the ball 15 times. He also received a 6.6, which was also in line with the Couch Score rating.
Local acclaim also continued. Celtic legend Stylian Petrov said, “When Yang Hyun-jun played, I was quite impressed. He looked different from the other players.” HITC, who reported this news, said, “Yang Hyun-jun couldn’t play for a long time, but he showed enough presence to show his potential. He even made a good impression on Celtic legend Petrov.” England’s Sky Sports also said, “Yang Hyun-joon showed an impressive role in the counterattack situation after being substituted.”
Yang Hyun-joon, who was a K-League 1 young player last year, joined Celtic on his way to Korea last month amid a strong love call from the Celtic club. During the season, there were aspects of conflict with the club, which made it difficult to allow Ace to transfer, but the misunderstanding with CEO Kim Byung-ji was resolved and he was finally allowed to transfer. The transfer fee was 2.75 million euros (about 4 billion won), and it brought more profits to the club than the first offer of 2 million euros (about 2.9 billion won) proposed by Celtic.
In an interview for his departure last month, he said, “I am so happy and excited. I’ve been able to experience the experience I’ve dreamed of since I was young, so I still can’t feel it.” He will be the best player in the Scottish Premiership.”
On the other hand, Oh Hyun-gyu and Kwon Hyuk-gyu, who were both on the list of replacements, did not get a chance to play. On this day, Celtic defeated Ross County 4-2 to win the opening match. The Celtic Korean trio, including Yang Hyun-jun, will challenge to compete together and win the season through an away game at Aberdeen at 8:00 pm on the 13th.