*This content was translated by AI.
Yang Hyun-joon (24, Celtic) and defender Seol Young-woo (28, Tsurvena Zvezda), who are active on the European stage, suffered side by side at the threshold of the round of 16 European club competition.
Celtic (Scotland), where Yang Hyun-joon belongs, won 1-0 away against Stuttgart in the second round of the UEFA Europa League (UEL) round of 16 playoff (PO) at the MHP Arena in Stuttgart, Germany, on the 27th (Korea time).
But the loss of the first game was painful. Celtic failed to overcome the 1-4 defeat they suffered at home in the first leg and fell to a combined score of 2-4, failing to advance to the round of 16.
Yang Hyun-joon, who started as a right winger, was in charge of the side for 68 minutes until he was replaced in the 23rd minute of the second half.
At the beginning of the game, there was an atmosphere of a reversal. Celtic caught up with a goal in the first minute of the first half, with Luke McGowan finishing the attack that began on Yang Hyun-joon's toes.
Yang Hyun-joon was also in good physical condition. According to the statistics media 'Foot Mob', Yang Hyun-joon, who gained momentum, also succeeded in breaking through dribbles three times against Stuttgart. However, Celtic failed to score additional points after being blocked by Stuttgart's strong counterattack. Yang Hyun-jun ended the tournament with one goal (against Feyenoord) in seven UEL games this season.
Seol Young-woo's Zvezda (Serbia) also suffered a painful upset loss in his home turf. On the same day, Zvezda lost 0-2 at home to Lille (France) at Leiko Mitić Stadium in Belgrade, Serbia, after extra time. Zvezda, who won 1-0 on the road in the first leg, missed the round of 16 tickets by falling behind to a combined score of 1-2.
Seol Young-woo, who started as a right wingback and played full season until overtime, worked hard with one shot and one key pass, but it was not enough to prevent the team from being eliminated. Zvezda allowed veteran French striker Olivier Giroud to score the first header in the fourth minute of the first half, allowing the score to be tied. Then, in the 9th minute of extra time, Nathan Ngoi scored the winning goal and collapsed.
This season, Seol Young-woo played his role as the main defender, taking charge of 10 Europa League games and recording one assist, but his team's defeat faded.
The Europa League was held in such a way that 36 teams played the league phase, going straight to the round of 16 from 1st to 8th, and from 9th to 24th through the playoffs to determine the remaining seats. Celtic, ranked 21st in the league phase, and Zvezda, ranked 15th, failed to overcome the barriers of Stuttgart (11th) and Lille (18th), respectively.
Meanwhile, among the Korean leaguers, Meat Willan (Denmark) Cho Kyu-sung and Lee Han-beom ranked third in the league phase, going straight to the round of 16 without a playoff and continuing their challenge to win.
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*This content was translated by AI.
