Koreans in Europe: Bae Jun-ho gets first Stoke City goal

Football

Published: 25 Feb. 2024, 12:00 Updated: 25 Feb. 2024, 16:16

Koreans in Europe: Bae Jun-ho gets first Stoke City goal

Bae Jun-ho is on the pitch during Stoke City's match against Cardiff City in Cardiff, South Wales on Saturday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Stoke City’s Bae Jun-ho got on the Championship scoresheet for the first time on Saturday, scoring his debut goal in the team’s 2-1 loss to Cardiff City in Cardiff, Wales.

The goal came in the 41st minute after Lewis Baker took a free kick but was denied a goal by Cardiff City goalkeeper Evan Horvath who dove to deflect the shot.

Bae was quick with a second attempt, getting to the ball immediately after it bounced off Horvath’s gloves and completing the drive with a successful rebound to notch his first goal since joining the club last fall.

“I’m pleased for Jun-ho to finally get his goal, 'cause he’s obviously been a good player for us since we’ve been here and might give him a bit of confidence,” Stoke City manager Steven Schumacher said in a post-match interview.

But Bae’s goal, which ended up being the last of the match after a goalless second half, wasn’t enough to give Stoke a comeback after headers from Cardiff City’s Kion Etete in the fifth minute and Karlan Grant in the 32nd minute gave their opponents an early lead.

“We’ve done a lot of good things today. The effort is definitely there from the players as you can see. But two headers again. Haven’t defended our goal properly,” Schumacher said.

Bae, 20, has so far made 26 appearances for Stoke City, recording three assists and, as of Saturday, one goal since making his debut with the club in September.

Before that, he spent a two-season stint at K League side Daejeon Hana Citizen, seeing the club through its promotion from the K League 2 to the top-tier K League 1 in 2022.

He joined the Championship side on a four-year contract last August during the European transfer window, inking the deal about a week and a half after his 20th birthday.

Bae notched his first assist for Stoke in the club’s 3-2 win over Bristol City in September despite clocking just seven minutes on the pitch, coming on as a substitute. He got his second assist in a 1-1 draw against West Brom in December and his third two weeks ago in the squad’s 3-1 loss to Blackburn.

While Saturday’s match was cause for celebration for Bae, Stoke City have a lot of work ahead of them in the 2023-24 Championship season. They currently sit in No. 22 on the 24-team table, placing them in danger of relegation.

The bottom three teams at the end of the season, which ends in May, will be bumped down to the third-tier League One.

“Everyone’s frustrated, nobody wants to be in the bottom three where we are. It’s just a lack of quality on both ends,” manager Schumacher said after Saturday’s match.

Stoke next face No. 13 Middlesborough next Saturday at Bet365 Stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, England. Bae has yet to score — or record an assist — at home.

BY MARY YANG [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]