Koreans in Europe: Bae Jun-ho gets another as Stoke beat Middlesbrough 2-0

Football

Published: 03 Mar. 2024, 09:12 Updated: 03 Mar. 2024, 16:26

Koreans in Europe: Bae Jun-ho gets another as Stoke beat Middlesbrough 2-0

Stoke City's Bae Jun-ho scores the opening goal in a Championship game against Middlesbrough at Bet365 Stadium in Stoke, England on Saturday in a photo shared by the club's official X account. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Bae Jun-ho picked up his second goal in as many games on Saturday, opening the scoring for Stoke City in a 2-0 home win over Middlesbrough.

Bae struck in the 40th minute at Bet365 Stadium, slotting a low shot into the corner for the 1-0 lead. Lewis Baker added No. 2 in the second half, securing Stoke their second win in eight games as the Championship side struggles to avoid relegation.

In his first season in the Championship, Bae now has two goals and three assists across 27 games for the midlands side.

“It was a great goal, a really good finish,” Stoke manager Steven Schumacher said after the game. “We have been waiting a really long time for him to score and now he has two in a week.

“I hope that gives him confidence because we need somebody in the team who is going to catch fire and hopefully it is him.

“I am really pleased, it was a great goal and different to last weekend’s tap-in, he had to show good strength and quality to take it.”

With just 10 wins so far this season, Stoke currently sit well in the danger zone in 22nd place out of the 24 Championship sides. The outlook is not too bleak, however, as their 38 points is good enough to tie with 21st-place Huddersfield, 20th-place Birmingham and 19th-place Queens Park Rangers.

“It was a really good performance and every player was right at the top of his game,” Schumacher said. “That is the bare minimum, we have spoken about being hard to beat and difficult to play against but equally making sure we play football in the right areas if we can.”

Stoke will be back in action on Tuesday as they take on Leeds United in a midweek Championship clash.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]