Bae Jun-ho of Stoke City. Captured from Stoke City’s social media
Bae Jun-ho of Stoke City in England’s Championship (second division) got off to a fine start by recording an assist in his first official match of the new season.
Bae came on as a substitute in the second half of the 2026-2027 English Football League Cup (EFL Cup) first-round match against Oldham Athletic (fourth division), held at the Bet365 Stadium in Stoke-on-Trent, Britain, on the 9th Korea time, contributing to his team’s 2-0 win.
Brought on in the 66th minute with Stoke City leading 1-0, Bae threaded a forward pass between the opposing defensive line in the 82nd minute. Robert Bozenik, who received the pass, split the net with a right-footed shot following a solo dribble, sealing the victory.
Bae, who has recently been the subject of transfer speculation linking him to France’s Olympique Lyon, made his presence felt by producing an attacking point in his first official match of the season. The English Championship kicks off next weekend.
Meanwhile, the EFL Cup first round also featured a head-to-head between Baek Seung-ho and Eom Ji-sung. In the match held at the Swansea.com Stadium in Wales, visiting side Birmingham City defeated Swansea City 1-0. Baek started and played until the 65th minute before being substituted, while Eom came on in the 82nd minute. Birmingham won on August Priske’s decisive goal in the 44th minute.