Celtic Secures Comeback Win but Faces Yang's Absence

Celtic left Paisley with three points, a comeback win and a problem. Yang Hyun-jun delivered the decisive moment again – and then packed his bags.

The 24-year-old winger struck the winner in a 2-1 victory over St Mirren, scoring in a second consecutive appearance, before heading for Japan and the Asian Games. His departure slices a hole straight through Martin O’Neill’s plans for some of the biggest fixtures of Celtic’s early season.

Yang delivers, then disappears

On a night when Celtic had to scrap, Yang gave them the cutting edge. First, though, they were in trouble.

St Mirren, sharp and aggressive from the start, went in front midway through the first half. Liam Scales handled in the box, Nikolas Agrafiotis stepped up, and his penalty put Saints ahead. At that stage, they were heading for the top of the William Hill Premiership and playing like they belonged there, peppering the Celtic goal and finishing with 19 shots on target.

For a spell, Celtic looked rattled.

O’Neill did not disguise it. "They played very, very well indeed," he 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."

The response after the break changed everything. Celtic came out with intent, Scales atoning for his earlier error six minutes into the second half with a powerful header to level the game. The momentum shifted, the visitors finally snapping into tackles and passes with conviction.

The pressure told on the counter. Midway through the second half, Celtic broke and Yang, again, was the man in the right place at the right time, finishing to turn the game on its head. O’Neill called it a "brilliant goal" and it felt like a parting shot.

He knows exactly what he is losing.

"We are going to miss him. He’s in really fine form at the moment," the Celtic manager said. "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."

Yang left the pitch with an ice pack strapped to his leg, sparking brief concern, but O’Neill played down any injury worries.

"He’s OK," he 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."

Asian Games call leaves Celtic exposed

Now comes the awkward part for Celtic. Yang flies out to Japan and will miss the midweek trip to St Johnstone, both looming clashes with Rangers and the Europa League opener against Ferencvaros. For a player in this kind of rhythm, the timing could hardly be worse for his club.

For Yang, the stakes are different. "If they don’t win the tournament, then he has to do (national) service," O’Neill explained. "I hope they do win it."

Celtic will hope he returns with a medal – and the same form – but in the meantime they must patch together a forward line without one of their most energetic outlets.

St Mirren’s brave approach comes at a price

This was no smash-and-grab from Celtic. St Mirren went toe to toe and, for long stretches, dictated the terms.

Even after Yang’s goal, the hosts refused to retreat. They kept the ball, kept playing through the thirds and forced Celtic back, producing what head coach Craig McLeish felt was their strongest spell of the game while trailing 2-1.

"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."

His frustration lay in the fine margins that separated them from at least a point. Celtic’s winner, he pointed out, came from St Mirren doing exactly what he asks of his players – being brave on the ball – and getting punished when it went wrong.

The decisive moment started with Camilo Duran robbing Ryan Carr 10 yards inside the Celtic half, sparking the counter that Yang finished. For McLeish, it was the downside of a possession-heavy approach he believes is transforming his team.

"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.

"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."

By the end, the mood in the home camp was clear.

"It probably shows where we’re at: we’re so disappointed with not coming away with anything," McLeish admitted.

St Mirren left with nothing on the board but plenty of evidence that their style can trouble the league’s biggest club. Celtic left with everything they came for, but also with a gaping hole on the right flank and a run of defining fixtures looming.

Yang’s goal won this battle. How much will his absence shape the next few?