Yang Hyun-joon made his official Celtic debut on the opening day of the season, raising expectations for the new campaign.
Celtic defeated Ross County 4-2 in the opening game of the 2023-2024 Scottish Premiership at Celtic Park on May 5 at 8:30 p.m. (ET).
The “Korea Trio” of Oh Hyun-gyu, Yang Hyun-joon, and Kwon Hyuk-kyu all started the game off the bench. Celtic stuck with the same starting lineup of Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda, and Riel Abada. Celtic jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first half, thanks to a David Turnbull brace and another from Furuhashi.
Yang took the field in the 33rd minute of the second half as a substitute for Kyogo. It was his official debut for Celtic. Yang joined Celtic from Gangwon FC this summer to help the Hoops reach Europe. He signed a five-year contract to play in Europe for the first time.
Yang’s movements were light. He exchanged balls with his teammates on the right flank and looked for attacking opportunities. Within a minute of his arrival, he made a daring dribble breakthrough.
He could have scored. In the 41st minute, Yang dropped deep into the Celtic penalty box and helped win the ball in defense. He then passed to Leo Hatate in the center of the box to start a counterattack. The ball went through Leo and Maeda to the front of the Celtic penalty box, but James Forrest’s finish was blocked by the keeper. But it was a moment that showed the potential of Yang Hyun-joon.
It was also impressive that Yang was Brendan Rodgers’ first offensive substitution. Celtic’s first substitutions saw defender Mike Navroski and midfielder David Turnball come off, with defenders Karl Starfeld and Leo Hatate coming on. He then made two changes to the forward line, dropping Kyogo and Abada, with Yang Hyun-joon taking the other spot.안전놀이터
Celtic are starting fresh under Rodgers after losing manager Enzi Postecoglou to Tottenham Hotspur after guiding them to three titles last season. It’s a positive sign that Yang has been the primary substitute option from the opening day.