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Celtic's Yang Hyun-jun bags goal, 2 assists in 5-0 Scottish Cup rout

Published: 09 Feb. 2025, 13:23 Updated: 09 Feb. 2025, 17:43

PAIK JI-HWAN
[email protected]

Celtic winger Yang Hyun-jun celebrates during the Scottish Cup match against Raith Rovers at Celtic Park in Scotland in a photo shared on Celtic's official Facebook page on Feb. 8. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Celtic winger Yang Hyun-jun racked up one goal and two assists to contribute to a huge 5-0 win in a fifth round Scottish Cup match against Raith Rovers on Saturday.

Yang started on the left flank at Celtic Park in Scotland and made diligent movements from the beginning, snatching the ball on the edge of the penalty area and giving Daizen Maeda enough space to open the scoring in the sixth minute.

That did not count as an assist for Yang, but the Korean winger delivered when his team needed it. He set Maeda up with a tidy pass during a counterattack, with the Japanese striker tucking it in to double Celtic’s advantage in stoppage time.

Yang was there again in the 47th minute, delivering a quick cross that Luke McCowan converted to put the score at 3-0. Yang also got on the scoresheet himself in the 56th minute, slotting in a cross with a volley to bag his second goal of the 2024-25 season.

Not content with the score, Maeda added one more in the 77th minute to complete his hat-trick and seal the perfect win, sending Celtic through to the quarterfinals.

Saturday’s match was the game in which Yang recorded the most goal contributions in a single game this season at one goal and two assists.

He spent more time on the bench in the early days of the campaign, but has seen an increase in playing time since November last year, with two goals and three assists across 21 fixtures under his belt as of Sunday.

Yang also appeared in four of eight Champions League matches this season in the league phase, where he did not make a single goal contribution.

Celtic winger Yang Hyun-jun, left, vies for the ball during the Champions League match against Aston Villa at Villa Park in Birmingham, England on Jan. 30. [AFP/YONHAP]

But he has a chance to do so in potential two-legged Korean derbies against Kim Min-jae’s Bayern Munich on Wednesday, Feb. 12 and Feb. 18 in the Champions League playoffs, with the winner reaching the round of 16.

Celtic also have a plenty of domestic action to catch, with the club returning to the Scottish Premiership for a match against Dundee United on Feb. 15.

Celtic need to keep up their efforts both in the Premiership and Scottish Cup, where they remain defending champions.

The Scottish giants’ run in the league has been smooth so far, with the club sitting 13 points clear at the top of the table with just one loss form their opening 25 fixtures.

Winning the league would be the club’s fourth straight victory, while another Scottish Cup this year would mark Celtic’s third consecutive time securing it.

Yang won the two domestic titles both in the 2023-24 season, his debut season with Celtic. He also lifted his third silverware in Scotland by winning the 2024 Scottish League Cup that ended in December last year.

The 22-year-old is the sole Korean in the Celtic squad this season, as countryman Oh Hyeon-gyu left the club permanently to join Belgian team KRC Genk last summer and Kwon Hyeok-kyu joined fellow Scottish club Hibernian FC on a one-season loan in August last year.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]