Goh Young-jun scores on Partizan Belgrade debut

A photo of Goh Young-jun posted on his personal Instagram account [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Korean midfielder Goh Young-jun scored his debut goal in his first game for Serbian team Partizan Belgrade, contributing to his side’s 5-2 win over FK IMT on Saturday.

Saturday’s Super Liga match at Partizan Stadium in Belgrade, Serbia marked Goh’s first appearance for Partizan since joining the club last month from K League 1 team Pohang Steelers.

Coming on as a substitute in the 55th minute, Goh scored a goal in the 90th minute with a shot inside the penalty area, sealing his side’s 5-2 victory over IMT and securing three points for the team.

With the huge win, Partizan snatched the frontrunner position on the league table from Red Star Belgrade — home of Korean midfielder Hwang In-beom — going one point clear of the league title contenders.

Partizan and Red Star have played the same number of matches, at 21, with Partizan having 53 points as of press time Sunday.

This season is not the first time the two sides have competed fiercely in the league, as both teams have been regular title contenders since the Super Liga began in 2006. They are the only sides that have won the league since 2006, with Red Star winning nine times and Partizan claiming victory eight times so far.

Goh’s move to Partizan came after he displayed a convincing performance with the Steelers last year during which he recorded eight goals and one assist in 28 league fixtures to manage a league runner-up finish and win the Korean FA Cup.

Playing as a winger or attacking midfielder, the 22-year-old breaks through defense with proactive movements.

Goh is free to continue his career in Europe without interruption as he has already earned a military exemption by winning a gold medal at the Hangzhou Asian Games last year.

Goh is not the only Korean player in the Super Liga, with three other countrymen active in the league.

As well as Hwang at Red Star, defender Yoo Ji-un is with FK Cukaricki and midfielder Jo Jin-ho plays for FK Novi Pazar.

Goh’s Partizan will be back in league action on Feb. 24 as they face Radnik Surdulica.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]