GUADALAJARA, Mexico — South Korea introduced Oh Hyeon‑Gyu on the opening day of the FIFA World Cup, replacing captain Son Heung‑Min in the Group A match with Czechia. The substitute entered shortly after South Korea had equalised eight minutes after falling behind and was handed his first World Cup appearance in a high‑pressure moment.
Eleven minutes after coming on, Oh timed a run to the near post as Hwang In‑Beom drove down the right and sent a low cross into the area. Oh connected with a first‑time effort that took a deflection and found the net for an 80th‑minute winner, giving South Korea a decisive victory.
Oh is 25 and is already on his third European club. His breakthrough came with Celtic, where he scored 12 goals in 47 games, before moving to Genk and finishing with 22 goals in 73 appearances. He joined Beşiktaş at the start of the year and has eight goals in 16 matches for the Turkish Süper Lig side to date.
Internationally, Oh won his first cap in 2022 and had to await consistent opportunities behind Son and other options. Cho Gue‑Sung, viewed as a leading No. 9 candidate after the 2022 World Cup, has been hampered by injury and illness, while South Korea used domestic forward Joo Min‑Kyu during Asian qualifying. Coach Hong Myung‑Bo chose Oh over Cho on the bench for the Czechia game, a change that produced the match‑winning goal.
Former South Korea captain Ki Sung‑Yueng, who spent seven full seasons in the Premier League and had spells with Celtic and Mallorca, had highlighted Oh before the tournament. “I think Oh Hyeon‑Gyu is the best young player at the moment,” Ki told ESPN on the eve of the World Cup, adding that viewers should “keep an eye on him,” according to ESPN. After the match, Oh told ESPN, “What can I say? I just can say ‘thank you’ [to Ki].”
