Bayern Munich Alumni: Wooyeong Jeong scores his first international goal

Bayern Munich alum Wooyeong Jeong scored his first ever goal for the senior national team.

The 22-year-old South Korean winger was subbed on in his country’s 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier vs Iraq, held in Doha, Qatar. It was Jeong’s second international cap after making his debut in March.

Jeong wasted little time in making his mark on the game. Barely two minutes after coming on, he played a pass into the box to striker Guesung Cho, who was upended and won a penalty. Tottenham Hotspur’s Heungmin Son converted the resulting spot kick.

But wait! The penalty had to be taken again because of encroachment from none other than Jeong himself. He was probably a bit too enthusiastic about playing for his country. Thankfully, Son scored from the retake to take the weight off Jeong’s shoulders.

The Bayern youth product then scored his first international goal just five minutes later, receiving a series of passes from Son and Heechan Hwang (formerly of RB Leipzig) and rifling an accurate shot into the roof of the net. Jeong thus got his first goal in Korean red in just his second appearance.

Korea defeated Iraq 3-0 and maintained their unbeaten run in the World Cup qualifiers, two points behind group leaders Iran. As the top two teams from each group go to the World Cup, and Korea are eight points ahead of third placed UAE with four games to go, the Taegeuk Warriors are in prime spot to qualify for the finals for a tenth consecutive time.

Jeong himself has been in fine form for Freiburg this season, playing every game and scoring thrice so far. Most recently, he played against Bayern in the Bundesliga, which ended in a 2-1 win for his old side.

Here’s to much more success for Jeong! Who knows, maybe he might come back to Bayern one day...