Jeong Woo-young scores first goal for Union Berlin in 2-1 win over Hoffenheim

Midfielder Jeong Woo-young scored his first goal for Union Berlin as his side went on to beat Hoffenheim 2-1 in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

Union Berlin's Jeong Woo-yeong scores a goal during a Bundesliga match against Hoffenheim in Berlin, Germany on Saturday. [AP/YONHAP]

Korean midfielder Jeong Woo-young scored his first goal for Union Berlin to lead his side to a 2-1 win over Hoffenheim in the 2024-25 Bundesliga season on Saturday.

Berlin went in front at Stadion An der Alten Försterei in Germany inside four minutes with Tom Rothe opening the scoring. Jeong doubled that lead two minutes later, exploiting a defensive error inside the penalty area and slotting the ball into the back of the net.

The 2-0 lead lasted through the halftime whistle. Marius Bulter pulled one back for Hoffenheim in the 67th minute, but that was the last goal of the match.

Jeong’s first goal of the season comes in his third match for Berlin, which he joined on loan from fellow Bundesliga team VfB Stuttgart ahead of this campaign.

The 25-year-old saw a slow start to the season, playing only 22 minutes in two league games as a substitute before Saturday’s fixture.

This year marks his seventh in Germany after starting his senior career with Bayern Munich’s reserve team in the 2018-19 season.

Upon joining Bayern, he immediately slotted into the club’s U-19 team and moved to their reserve squad in the 3. Liga the following season, before being called up to the senior squad on Nov. 27, 2018.

He moved to SC Freiburg in the 2019-20 season but didn’t appear for the club, returning to Bayern on loan in the second half of the season and dropping back into the reserve squad.

Jeong returned to Freiburg in the 2020-21 season and went on to make 100 appearances for the club over three seasons, scoring 11 goals and picking up five assists, allowing him to move to Stuttgart for the 2023-24 campaign, where he played 29 games as the club finished league runners-up.

Saturday’s victory extends Berlin’s unbeaten streak in the league to four, having recorded two wins and two draws to sit in fourth place in the 18-team table as of press time Sunday.

Berlin will be back in league action against Borussia Monchengladbach on Sept. 28.

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