South Korea reached the Asian Games final after a 2-1 victory over China, but Celtic winger Yang Hyun-jun remained an unused substitute due to a hamstring injury.
Yang missed the quarter-final against Vietnam after picking up the injury but returned to the matchday squad for the semi-final. He did not feature on the pitch as South Korea came from behind to secure their spot in the final. China opened the scoring through Yudong Wang, but Young-Jun Lee equalised within ten minutes. Bae Junho then scored the winner in the 82nd minute to seal the comeback.
South Korea will face the winner of the other semi-final between Uzbekistan and Japan. Yang, 24, is one of the over-age players in South Korea’s Under-23 squad at the Asian Games. His participation in the tournament has caused him to miss several important Celtic matches, including the recent double-header against Rangers.
Despite the injury setback, Yang expressed hope of returning to action during the tournament. However, he was unable to take part in the semi-final. The Celtic winger had previously scored for his club in a Scottish Premiership match against St Mirren on 5 September 2026, netting a goal in the 68th minute to help secure a 2-1 win.
South Korea’s progress to the final maintains their pursuit of gold at the Asian Games, with Yang’s involvement still pending as they prepare for the upcoming decider.
According to Yahoo Sports.