Celtic’s Yang Hyun-jun fired a stunning brace to secure a 2-1 victory over Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership on October 6 (Korean time), propelling his team to three points in the 2025-2026 season’s 32nd round at Dens Park.
Lightning-Quick Double Strike
Yang struck twice in the first eight minutes, dismantling Dundee United’s defense early. He opened the scoring with a precise outside-of-the-foot finish from Kieran Tierney’s cross, showcasing his clinical shooting. Moments later, he rose highest to head home a corner kick delivery, leaving the goalkeeper helpless.
These goals marked his seventh in the league this season and ninth overall across competitions. Yang also netted in Europa League qualifiers against Europa and Riga, underlining his scoring prowess.
Two-Game Brace Streak Post-Europa
Following Celtic’s Europa League qualification, Yang notched braces in consecutive matches. In January’s regular league round 30 against Motherwell, he bagged a pair, and now repeats the feat here. Sources confirm he leads the team in expected goals (xG) as a right winger.
Deployed on the right wing in a 4-2-3-1 formation, Yang dazzled with 66 touches, including a key chance creation (No. 1), necessary shot (No. 2), dribble success (No. 1), and passing contribution (No. 7). His efforts earned an average rating of 8.2 over two games, ranking second team-wide.
Celtic’s Tense Victory
Celtic led 2-0 at halftime but faced drama in the second half. Simon Murray converted a penalty in the 12th minute to level the score. Kyogo Furuhashi, introduced as a substitute, sealed the winner in the 37th minute with a decisive strike, ensuring the points stayed at Celtic Park.
Despite the late scare, Celtic dominated possession at 64% and created three big chances, outshining Hatate (rating 6.7) by a wide margin.
Background and Impact
Originally from Pohang Steelers, Yang earned his national team call-up for the June World Cup Asian finals, playing two matches in nine months—his first senior caps against Cote d’Ivoire and Australia.
His dribbling flair and all-around energy powered Celtic’s attack, topping charts in progressive passes. Even in losses like against Kotdibuare, he shone. Yang’s form positions him as a key entry contender for the 2026 World Cup, bridging the season’s most captivating performances.
In a related note, Austria Vienna’s Itae-seok also scored a hat-trick for his side. On October 5 in the Austrian Bundesliga round 25 against LASK, he netted three in a 3-0 comeback win from 0-3 down after 16 minutes, including a poked finish from a cross. Itae-seok tops his full-time rating at 3 goals from 3 chances as a right winger, though his team fell 1-3 overall.
