Bae Jun-ho gets two assists as Stoke City thump Portsmouth

Published: 03 Oct. 2024, 13:51 Updated: 03 Oct. 2024, 16:17

PAIK JI-HWAN [email protected]

  Stoke City midfielder Bae Jun-ho picked up his second and third assists of the 2024-25 season in his side’s 6-1 win over Portsmouth in the Championship on Wednesday.    

  Starting as a winger at bet365 Stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, England, Bae made a tidy cross for Thomans Cannon who capitalized on it in the 51st minute to make it 5-1. That goal was Cannon’s fourth goal in the fixture.   Bae imposed himself again two minutes later, making a good pass to Andrew Moran who scored what turned out to be the last goal of the match.     Wednesday’s two assists come after Bae recorded his first of the campaign against Hull City on Sept. 20. He has yet to score a goal in nine fixtures this season.     The two assists are a bright sign ahead of Korea’s two 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Jordan and Iraq. Bae made it onto the national squad after making his first two senior caps under then-interim manager Kim Do-hoon in June and failing to be picked up by new manger Hong Myung-bo last month.     He only played 20 minutes of his first national team match against Singapore, but still made it count by scoring his debut goal.     The 21-year-old is a versatile midfielder who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder, but his role overlaps with Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in, who is able to execute both roles at the national team.     Swansea City's Eom Ji-sung can also play in both positions and so can Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min, although his availability for the two qualifiers remains unclear due to injury.   Before Korea play the qualifier against Jordan on Oct. 10, Stoke will continue their league action against Swansea on Saturday.     That match will be the first Korean derby of the Championship this season, if both Bae and Eom play.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]