Oh Hyun-gyu (Celtic), the replacement for Hwang Eui-jo (Norwich City) who was suspended from the national team for ‘illegal filming’, has exploded.
Celtic defeated Hibernian 4-1 in the 16th round of the Scottish Premiership for the 2023-2024 season at Celtic Park in Glasgow, Scotland on July 7 (KST).
Oh started the game and scored a multi-goal performance to lead the way in the victory. It was Oh’s fifth league goal of the season and seventh in the league, following his multi-goal performance in Round 13 against Aberdeen. Celtic have been unbeaten in 16 matches since the start of the season, leading the league with 13 wins and three draws (42 points).
The Hoops are eight points clear of second-place Hearts (34 points). Oh opened the scoring against Hibernian in the fifth minute of play. Off a corner kick, teammate Carter-Vickers’ header deflected off Oh’s body in front of the goal and into the back of the net. After taking the lead through Oh, Celtic extended their lead in the 36th minute through O’Reilly’s header. After going into the break with the lead, Celtic drove a wedge into the game with Palmer’s penalty six minutes into the second half. Hyun-Gyu Oh capped off the scoring in the 10th minute of the second half. Off a pass from teammate McGregor, 안전놀이터 Oh penetrated the left side of the penalty area, won a tussle with defender Fish, and rattled the net with a right-footed shot.
Oh ready to step into the No. 2 role
Oh’s goal came nearly a month after his multi-goal performance at home against Aberdeen on March 12.
Oh’s goal is good news for Klinsmann’s side, who are just over a month away from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup.
Oh is currently the second frontline forward option for the national team behind Cho Kyu-sung (Mittwillan).
Since taking over in March, Klinsmann has only called up Cho, Hwang Eui-jo, and Oh Hyun-kyu for the front three positions.
In the early days of his tenure, the three competed for even playing time, but as time went on, Cho established himself as the main striker. Hwang Eui-jo was the second option and Oh Hyun-gyu was more of a third option.
The consistency of the Klinsmann’s offense was disrupted when Hwang Eui-jo, who had been the second option, was temporarily suspended from the national team after being investigated by the police for illegal filming.
Hwang is currently going through a tough time.
He is now a suspect in an illegal filming case. There’s also a lot of interest in the UK. “The 31-year-old striker is accused of filming sex scenes with his ex-girlfriend on his cell phone and sharing them on social media,” says the BBC, “and the Korea Football Association suspended him from the national team on Monday pending the outcome of an investigation.” He added that Norwich City were aware of the issue. Hwang’s original club, Nottingham Forest, told the BBC that they would not comment until the outcome of the investigation. To make matters worse, Hwang, who had already been investigated in South Korea, quietly traveled to England after South Korea’s second Asian qualifying group game against China for the 2026 FIFA World Cup North America in China. While some overseas players were traveling on chartered flights, Hwang Ui-jo discreetly traveled to Guangzhou and departed for England.
Hwang will be out of action for the foreseeable future due to injury.
The KFA held a meeting last month with members of the Ethics Committee, the Fairness Committee, and the National Strength and Conditioning Committee, and decided that “Hwang Ui-jo, who is under police investigation, will not be selected for the national team until the conclusion of the investigation agency.”
“National athletes are obligated to maintain their honor with a high level of morality and responsibility,” explained Lee Yoon-nam, chairman of the ethics committee, “and in that regard, we considered that they must manage various aspects of their personal lives.” “We took into account a number of factors, including concerns about how (the incident) might affect the national team, and concerns about how the national team’s fans might feel if the player were to play for the national team,” he added. As a result, Jürgen Klinsmann could be faced with the prospect of playing the 2024 Asian Cup in Qatar, which kicks off on January 12 next year, without Hwang. In order for Hwang to be included in the final roster for the Asian Cup, he will need to be “cleared” by the judicial authorities.
With so little time before the Asian Cup, it is unlikely that a new striker will be added to the squad. As a result, Oh’s role in the national team is likely to grow and his playing time is likely to increase.
With that said, it’s encouraging for Klinsmann that Oh is getting consistent playing time and scoring goals for his club. If the goal boosts his confidence, it could be a big boost for the South Korean offense at the Asian Cup, which kicks off next January.