Ex-Celtic star defies pre-game scare to bag historic World Cup winner as Parkhead hero watches on
Former Celtic hitman bags winning goal on World Cup opening day.
Former Celtic forward Oh Hyeon-gyu was the man of the moment as his late winning goal helped South Korea kick off their World Cup campaign with a narrow 2-1 win over Czechia at the Estadio Akron during the early hours of Friday morning.
Hyeon-gyu, 25, was named amongst the South Korea substitutes alongside current Celtic attacker Hyun-Jun Yang as they looked to get their Group A campaign off to a good start in the Mexican city of Zapopan, near Guadalajara. After a goalless first half, the Taegeuk Warriors went behind just before the hour mark when Ladislav Krejci headed home Vladimír Coufal’s long throw-in to open the scoring.
However, the lead wouldn’t last long, and Hong Myung-bo’s side soon found themselves level when a sublime piece of skill from Feyenoord midfielder Hwang In-beom saw him wrong-foot Czechia goalkeeper Matej Kovar and fire into an empty net to level the scores in the 67th minute.
In the immediate aftermath of the equaliser, head coach Myung-bo introduced ex-Celtic striker Hyeon-gyu to the field as a replacement for former Tottenham Hotspur and current Los Angeles FC star Son Heung-min, as they look to steal a comeback win on the opening day of the World Cup.
Czechia thought they had gone back into the lead when West Ham United midfielder Tomas Soucek bulleted home a close-range header, only to see it correctly ruled out for offside before Hyeon-gyu fired home his first-ever major tournament goal from close range in the 80th minute, sweeping into the net after an excellent left-wing cross for In-beow. Celtic’s Hyun-Jun Yang remained an unused substitute as South Korea held on for the win.
Hyeon-gyu, who spent a productive but short 18-month stint at Celtic between January 2023 and July 2024 after leaving Suwon Bluewings, served largely as a reliable backup striker to former marksman Kyogo Furuhashi. Making a total of 47 appearances, he scored 12 goals at Celtic Park before being transferred to Genk in the summer of 2024.
“Actually, before the match, I was feeling very unwell,” said Hyeon-gyu after the game. “My fever rose to 38 degrees. Thanks to the staff and medical team who took great care of me, I was able to play in the game. Just participating in the World Cup is overwhelming and moving, but the coach gave me the opportunity to score. I am grateful as a striker. I watched closely the joys and sorrows the seniors experienced from within. That’s why I really want to go to the World Cup. It was the biggest motivation of my life.”
Combined with Mexico’s 2-0 opening game win over South Africa earlier in the day, the result puts South Korea into second place, level on three points with the co-hosts in Group A after the opening round of group fixtures. The South Korean national team will face Mexico in their next game on Thursday, 18 June at the Estadio Azteca, where they’ll hope to secure a win that would secure a place in the knockout rounds with a game to spare. “Since it’s Mexico’s home game, I will remain humble, prepare well, and give 100 per cent to continue the good momentum from today”, noted Hyeon-gyu.
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