Things You Should Know About Borussia Dortmund Match-Winner Park Joo-Ho

As instant impacts go, scoring a 93rd-minute winner on your debut in front of a record European crowd isn’t a bad one.

As the 55,200 inside the Westfalenstadion—a record for a Europa League group-stage match—had just begun to accept the fact Borussia Dortmund’s winning streak was going to end at nine, and that unfancied Krasnodar were going to hold the hosts to a draw in their opening match of Group C, up popped Park Joo-Ho.

The South Korean’s dramatic diving header sealed the points against the Russians, but how much do you know about him?

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

Here’s the lowdown.

• Although born in Seoul in 1987, all of the 28-year-old Park’s career in Asia was played in Japan, where he started out in J League Division 2 with Mito HollyHock, before moves to the more-established J League clubs Kashima Antlers and Jubilo Iwata, winning the league with the former in 2009 and the J League Cup with the latter in 2010.

• That was enough to attract the attention of the senior South Korea setup, and after playing for his nation at under-20 and under-23 level, he earned his first senior call-up for a clash with Finland in early 2010.

• Capable of playing at both left-back and on the left-hand side of midfield, his big move to Europe was just around the corner, and it was the summer of 2011 when Swiss side FC Basel made the move to take him from Jubilo Iwata, placing him straight into the team as the first-choice left-back as the team went on to win back-to-back Swiss league titles, as well as reach the Europa League semi-finals during his second season.

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• However, Park had started to fall out of favour with coach Murat Yakin during that second campaign, and he decided a move away was needed in the summer of 2013, when Thomas Tuchel swooped to bring him to Mainz.

• His first season there saw Mainz finish in a hugely respectable seventh in the Bundesliga, with Park earning a call-up to the South Korea squad for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil as a late replacement for the injured Kim Jin-Su, who signed for Hoffenheim from Albirex Niigata that summer. South Korea exited the World Cup at the group stage following a draw with Russia and defeats to Algeria and Belgium, with Park failing to feature in any of the matches.

• Back at Mainz, though, Tuchel still rated him, and he featured regularly as the club finished 11th in the Bundesliga in his second season, with Tuchel attracting the attention of Borussia Dortmund when it was announced that Jurgen Klopp was going to quit the club. Although Tuchel joined Dortmund in the summer, he waited until August 29 before bringing Park with him from Mainz, handing him the No. 3 shirt.

• Called “a perfect addition to our squad at left-back” by the club’s director of sport Michael Zorc, via ESPN FC, Park was an unused substitute for the 4-2 win at Hannover in the Bundesliga last weekend, before being given his first start for the club by Tuchel in the clash with Krasnodar—and responding emphatically with what is only his fifth career goal.

Martin Meissner/Associated Press

• “I know Park Joo-Ho and I know that you can rely on him 100 per cent,” said Tuchel after the match, via Goal.com. “It was not easy for him—new team, new surroundings, various positions, half spaces. It took him a while to find his flow, but he worked through it. This bears witness to his great heart."

Given his spectacular start, it’ll be the hearts of the Dortmund fans Park will be winning over right now.