While Celtic fell to a 2-1 defeat against Bayern Munich, one of the biggest winners of the night was Yang Hyun-jun, who came off the bench and made a real impact in the closing stages. The South Korean winger, often a divisive figure among fans, was a constant threat and played a key role in Celtic’s late push.
Yang’s introduction injected directness and unpredictability into Celtic’s attack. He assisted Daizen Maeda’s goal in the 79th minute, delivering a brilliant ball into the box that allowed the Japanese forward to fire home from close range. From that point on, Bayern were rattled, forced into time-wasting tactics as Celtic pressed them back.
The winger, who has had his fair share of critics and supporters in equal measure, looked fearless against one of the best teams in Europe. His quick feet and willingness to take defenders on had the German champions scrambling to hold onto their lead.
A Turning Point for Yang?
This performance comes off the back of a solid display and a goal against Raith Rovers in the Scottish Cup on Saturday, suggesting Yang may be starting to turn a corner. For much of his time at Celtic, he has struggled to nail down a consistent starting spot, but these recent outings have shown clear signs of progress.
Celtic’s Hyunjun Yang arrives at the stadium before the match Action Images via Reuters/Lee Smith
Despite his strong showing, breaking into Celtic’s wings with Maeda, Kühn, and Jota will still be a challenge. However, with a quick turnaround before Saturday’s league clash with Dundee United, Brendan Rodgers is likely to rotate his squad, and Yang could be in line for a well-earned start.
If he can build on this momentum, he might just force his way into Rodgers’ plans on a more regular basis.
