Celtic's Comeback Victory as Yang Hyun-jun Signs Off in Style
Celtic will head into a crucial spell without one of their form players, and Martin O’Neill knows exactly what they’re losing.
Yang Hyun-jun struck the winner for the second game running as Celtic came from behind to beat St Mirren 2-1 in Paisley, then packed his bags for Japan and the Asian Games. The timing could hardly be worse.
The 24-year-old winger will now miss the midweek trip to St Johnstone, both upcoming derbies against Rangers and the Europa League opener against Ferencvaros. For a player O’Neill describes as “in really fine form”, it is a significant blow.
“We are going to miss him,” the Celtic manager admitted. “He’s in really fine form at the moment. If they don’t win the tournament, then he has to do (national) service. I hope they do win it.
“But he’s signed off with a brilliant goal. He’s in great form and he’ll work for you going backwards. He doesn’t mind doing the hard graft.”
Saints threaten to go top
For 45 minutes, St Mirren had Celtic rocking and the William Hill Premiership table tilting in their favour.
Craig McLeish’s side went in at the break 1-0 up and on course to finish the night top of the league. They had every right to feel it was coming: they racked up 19 shots on target and repeatedly forced Celtic onto the back foot.
Their breakthrough arrived midway through the first half. Liam Scales was penalised for handball in the box and Nikolas Agrafiotis buried the penalty, a composed finish that reflected St Mirren’s early control.
“They played very, very well indeed,” O’Neill said. “Caused us plenty of problems and took the lead. A 10 or 15-minute spell in the first half where I thought we were well and truly second best.”
Celtic looked loose and uncertain, with Saints’ aggressive, possession-based approach unsettling the visitors. McLeish could see both the promise and the risk in that style.
“I thought there were so many good parts about our play,” he said. “Probably the little bit of frustration was when we were a wee bit loose in possession. The first half, Celtic’s chances come from us giving the ball away at times when we should be more secure on it.”
Celtic’s response
Whatever was said in the away dressing room at half-time had an immediate effect.
Celtic came out with far more intent, snapping into challenges and pushing higher up the pitch. The equaliser arrived just six minutes after the restart, and it came from the man who had conceded the first-half penalty.
Scales rose to meet a cross and powered his header home, turning from culprit to catalyst in a single moment. The goal shifted the mood and the match.
“We came out with renewed energy, renewed determination in the second half, got the equalising goal and went on to win it,” O’Neill said. “But it was a tough evening for us.”
The pressure told again midway through the second half. St Mirren, still committed to playing out, were punished when Camilo Duran robbed Ryan Carr about 10 yards inside the Celtic half. One quick transition later, Yang was racing away on the counter and finishing what would be his farewell goal for now.
McLeish knew exactly where the damage had come from.
“The first half, Celtic’s chances come from us giving the ball away at times when we should be more secure on it,” he said. “And then even the second goal, that comes from us not being secure on the ball.
“We can’t then turn round and have a pop at the boys for that. We’re asking them to play, we’re asking them to be brave on the ball. We just need to keep doing it better at times, we need to keep building on it.”
Yang, who had an ice pack strapped to his leg after going off, gave Celtic another reminder of his value before heading for international duty. O’Neill moved quickly to allay any injury fears.
“He’s OK,” the manager said. “If he’d got up a little bit earlier, I think maybe we might have continued with him. But he looked shaken up a bit, so we took him off.”
Brave St Mirren left empty-handed
Even at 2-1 down, St Mirren refused to retreat into damage limitation. They pushed again, and for a spell after Yang’s goal they looked the likelier side to score.
“Throughout the night we carried a threat,” McLeish said. “Even when we go 2-1 down, we show so much bravery and personality to keep going and keep playing.
“We probably have our strongest spell of the game and create some really good chances, probably unlucky not to take one of them.
“It probably shows where we’re at: we’re so disappointed with not coming away with anything.”
That disappointment told its own story. St Mirren had Celtic stretched, had the league summit briefly within reach, and still walked away with nothing to show for it.
Celtic, meanwhile, left Paisley with three points, a comeback win and a winger in top gear boarding a long-haul flight. The question now is simple: with Rangers and Europe looming, how will they cope without Yang Hyun-jun when the stakes climb even higher?
