Eom Ji-sung and Bae Jun-ho draw blanks as Swansea and Stoke settle for goalless draw

The Championship match between Swansea City and Stoke City ended in a goalless draw on Saturday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

 
The first Korean derby of the 2024-25 Championship season between Eom Ji-sung’s Swansea City and Bae Jun-ho's Stoke City ended in a goalless draw on Saturday.
 
Both Korean midfielders started the fixture at Swansea.com Stadium in Wales but failed to record a goal or assist in their final match before joining the Korean national team for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.   
 

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Neither team could find a breakthrough, despite Swansea attempting 19 shots with five on target, while Stoke managed 10 shots with four on target.
 
Following Saturday’s draw, Swansea sit in 11th place on the 24-team table with three wins, three draws and three losses, while Stoke are in 16th place with three wins, one draw and five losses as of press time Sunday.
 
The Championship will pause for the FIFA international break from Monday through Oct. 15, during which Korea will face Jordan on Oct. 10 and Iraq on Oct. 15 in the third round of qualifiers.
 
Both Eom and Bae join the national team in solid form, filling in for Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min, who is absent due to injury.
 
Eom has been a regular starter for Swansea this season, playing 11 games and providing two assists. Bae has also been a regular pick for Stoke, contributing three assists across 10 matches.
 
Both players can operate as wingers or attacking midfielders, similar to Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in or the injured Son, giving Korea manager Hong Myung-bo options for his starting lineup.  
 
Neither Eom nor Bae has established themselves as regular picks for the national team. They both have two senior caps and one goal to their name.
 
Korea sits in second place in Group B of the third round, where the top two teams from each of the three groups will qualify directly for the 2026 World Cup.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]