Home > Sports > Football

Bae Jun-ho, Yang Min-hyeok both find net in Championship Korean derby

Published: 30 Mar. 2025, 13:53 Updated: 30 Mar. 2025, 17:47

PAIK JI-HWAN
[email protected]

Stoke City midfielder Bae Jun-ho, left, celebrates during a Championship match against QPR at bet365 Stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, England, in a photo shared on Stoke's X account on March 29. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Stoke City midfielder Bae Jun-ho scored his third goal of the 2024-25 season in a 3-1 win over QPR in the Championship on Saturday, with fellow Korean midfielder Yang Min-hyeok also scoring his first goal for the London club.

The two Korean midfielders went head-to-head at bet365 Stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, England, after the March international break, during which they joined the Korean national team that recorded two draws against Oman and Jordan.

Bae demonstrated his pace for the opening goal in the 21st minute, running toward the penalty box to convert a quick cross from Junior Tchamadeu.

The goal marks Bae’s first since one against Middlesbrough on Feb. 25 and brings his goal contribution this season to three goals and five assists across 42 appearances.

Stoke doubled their advantage in the 44th minute, with Tchamadeu finishing the job himself. Million Manhoef put the score at 3-0 in the 54th minute, but QPR reduced the deficit in the 78th minute when Yang smashed in a shot on the edge of the penalty box for his first goal for his team.

Yang’s goal comes in the 18-year-old’s ninth match for QPR, which he joined on loan from Tottenham Hotspur.

QPR midfielder Yang Min-hyeok [SCREEN CAPTURE]

The Korean winger joined Tottenham in January after becoming the youngest Korean to sign with a Premier League club at 18 years and 103 days, but the midfielder did not clock up any minutes with Spurs and transferred to QPR on loan on Jan. 29.

Yang has also received a few call-ups to the Korean national team and made his first senior cap in a 2026 World Cup qualifier against Jordan on March 25, where he featured for 45 minutes.

Bae, meanwhile, did not play the Jordan game but featured 27 minutes in a qualifier against Oman on March 20. The Stoke midfielder has seven caps, five of which come from Korea’s ongoing run during the third qualifying round.

The two Korean midfielders have a remaining Championship action to catch through the end of the season on May 3, after which Korea will play their final two qualifiers during the June international break.

A realistic goal for both QPR and Stoke through the end of the campaign is to land in a safer zone from relegation.

QPR sit in 15th place, while Stoke are in 18th place on the 24-team table as of press time Sunday. The London club is only seven points clear of the relegation zone.

In the Championship, the bottom three teams face automatic relegation to third-tier League One each season.

Over at the top of the table, the two top-finishing teams earn direct promotion to the Premier League. Meanwhile, teams that finish in third to sixth place enter a playoff to determine one more team that gains a ticket to the top tier.

Stoke have not competed in the Premier League since the 2017-18 season, while QPR have not featured in the top flight since the 2014-15 campaign.

Stoke will return to action with a fixture against Preston on April 5, with QPR facing Cardiff City on the same day.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]