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Celtic's Yang, Feyenoord's Hwang make cases for call-ups with goal contributions

Published: 26 Jan. 2026, 16:17

Celtic winger Yang Hyun-jun, second from right, scores during a Scottish Premiership match against Heart of Midlothian at Tynecastle Park in Edinburgh, Scotland, on Jan. 25. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Celtic winger Yang Hyun-jun scored a goal and Feyenoord midfielder Hwang In-beom registered two assists on Sunday as the Korean national team footballers made strong cases for call-ups in the final stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup preparations in March.

Yang converted a cross from Tomas Cvancara with a right-footed finish during a counterattack against Heart of Midlothian in a Scottish Premiership fixture in Edinburgh, Scotland, restoring Celtic's lead to make it 2-1. But the Bhoys in Green conceded the equalizer to Claudio Braga in the 87th minute for a final score of 2-2.

Sunday's goal brings Yang's goal tally this season to six goals in 26 appearances across all competitions. Yang has particularly demonstrated his attacking prowess as a right-winger, where he has found the net four times.

One more goal will surpass his goal tally in the 2024-25 season, when he ended with six goals across 34 appearances.

Over at Feyenoord Stadium in the Netherlands, Hwang provided an assist for Jordan Bos, who headed in the ball to make it 2-1 against Heracles Almelo in an Eredivisie fixture before notching another assist for Casper Tengstedt in his side's fourth goal for a 4-2 victory.

Feyenoord midfielder Hwang In-beom, center, receives a yellow card during the Europa League opening phase match against SK Sturm Graz in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on Jan. 22. [AP/YONHAP]

Hwang now has one goal and five assists across 16 appearances this season, with Sunday's fixture marking the first time he has picked up two assists in a single match.

Both Yang and Hwang have seen good starts to the second half of the 2025-26 campaign. The rest of the season will see whether the two can maintain their form ahead of the March international break, during which Korea will play a friendly against Austria and another against a yet-to-be-determined opponent in preparation for the World Cup.

Hwang is a national team regular pick with 71 caps. Yang, on the other hand, has won three caps under manager Hong Myung-bo, but has not received a call-up since a World Cup qualifier against Kuwait on Oct. 6, 2025.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY PIH JU-YOUNG [[email protected]]