Two Celtic players advance, one departs as South Korea defeat Australia at the AFC Asian Cup

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Celtic will have representation in the semi-final of the AFC Asian Cup after South Korea defeated Australia in the last eight earlier today.

Brendan Rodgers will be keen for his absent players to remain in good health, something which has already been called into question due to Reo Hatate’s recent calf injury that will keep him out for five to six weeks.

Daizen Maeda, Hyeongyu Oh, Yang Hyun-jun and loanee Marco Tilio are the other Bhoys that have been involved in Qatar, with the latter three going head-to-head in the hunt for tournament glory.

Despite Australia holding the lead for much of the proceedings courtesy of Craig Goodwin’s opener, South Korea mounted an astonishing comeback, starting with Hwang Hee-chan converting an equaliser from the spot seconds before the full-time whistle was due to be blown [beIN Sports].

In extra time, Son Heung-min stepped up, scoring a brilliant whipped free-kick in the 104th minute that sent the Taeguek Warriors through in dramatic circumstances.

Aiden O’Neill was also sent off for the Socceroos, compounding a heartbreaking exit for Graham Arnold’s men.

67 Hail Hail takes a look at how Celtic’s small delegation of participants managed to fare at Al Janoub stadium.

Celtic’s Hyeongyu Oh and Yang Hyun-jun progress to semi-final

Celtic will have to do without the services of Oh and Yang for a little longer as both could now be called upon to face Jordan in the semi-final [BBC Sport].

Jurgen Klinsmann brought both players on as he swung the tide against Australia, with striker Oh obtaining a Sofascore rating of 6.9/10 in his 15 minutes on the field.

During that time, the 22-year-old completed six out of his seven attempted passes, winning two ground duels and one aerial contest.

On the other hand, Yang made his first appearance in the tournament, successfully carrying out 27 of 32 passes. The former Gangwon FC man also had one shot on goal, two accurate long balls and made three recoveries [Fotmob].

International experience on the big stage will only likely benefit both men as they seek to forge a name for themselves at Parkhead. Congratulations are in order for the pair based on this achievement.

Celtic loanee Marco Tilio heads back to Melbourne City

Tilio didn’t make it off the bench for Australia; however, commiserations to the Hurstville-born man, who will now head back to Melbourne City to spend the remainder of the campaign.

Signed from the City Boys last summer for £1.5 million, things haven’t quite worked out in the manner he or Celtic would’ve hoped so far; nevertheless, he will now have an opportunity to get back in his groove in a familiar environment.