Hyeongyu Oh has managed to grab himself three goals so far for Celtic since arriving at Parkhead from Suwon Samsung Bluewings in the South Korean League. Mostly substitute appearances, that hasn’t stopped the big centre-forward from getting in on the action and even getting goals that matter instead of additions to an already successful scoreline.
Just before we stopped for the latest international break this month, Celtic faced Hibernian at Celtic Park and had to come from behind and show their mettle as we maintained our nine-point gap at the top of the league looking down on theRangers. Oh played a very vital part in that 3-1 victory over Lee Johnson’s men as he came off the bench to score a bullet header which put us 2-1 in front late on in the cinch Premiership league match.
It relieved the pressure and broke Hibs and that allowed Sead Haksabanovic to grab a third and seal the deal in spectacular fashion from outside he box, in what is fast becoming a trademark goal for the Montenegrin winger. However, it was Oh with his bustling forward play that allowed us the breathing space to go and kill our opponent off, as heads fell after a crushing comeback by the Scottish Premiership Champions – largely thanks to our newest South Korean recruit.
Oh has been away on international duty too this past week, and made an appearance from the bench under new manager, Jurgen Klinsmann. It was a 2-2 draw with Colombia and allowed Oh to sample what it’s like representing his country at international level. Next up is Uruguay for him and his teammates, which includes the former Celtic target, Cho Gue-sung, whom Ange decided to stop pursuing after singing big Oh.
Oh has revealed that his form for Celtic lately has seen him improve as a player since his move from Bluewings and that he feels he is a stronger striker in the penalty box than both Cho and Hwang Ui-Jo. Speaking to publication Simin 119, the Hoops attacker said: “It’s been a long time since I made my A-match debut in an exhibition match against Iceland in November last year. It was an honour to play in front of so many fans. It was hard to adjust to jet lag at first. I think we showed a disappointing performance. I’m very disappointed with myself.
He added: “I always imagined myself playing with my brothers while watching them from the sidelines at the Qatar World Cup. I’ll keep the jersey from today’s (Friday’s) trial for the rest of my life. The Hyeongyu Oh of Celtic has become stronger than the Hyeongyu Oh of Suwon Samseong. My performance at Celtic came out as confidence in the national team. I faced a lot of physical European defenders. I feel that I have become stronger by not avoiding them and facing them stronger, I think I am stronger and more aggressive in the box than Cho Gue-sung and Hwang Eui-jo.”
Paul Gillespie
