Celtic’s Hyeongyu Oh makes instant impact for South Korea in final AFC Asian Cup group match

Brought in under Ange Postecoglou, the 22-year-old has managed to hit 12 goals in his first 45 appearances for the Hoops; however, he has found regular starting opportunities hard to come by owing to the constant form of Kyogo Furuhashi [Transfermarkt]. Now, the former Suwon Samsung Bluewings striker is part of a five-man list of absentees for Celtic due to his involvement at the AFC Asian Cup with South Korea. Featuring against Jordan on matchday two in Group E, Oh managed to help the Taeguek Warriors rescue a last-gasp point to claw back a two-goal deficit, holding off opposition defenders in the same passage that led to Yazan Al Arab putting the ball through his own net to secure a 2-2 draw. South Korea have since qualified for the knockout stage of the competition after a 3-3 draw on matchday three against Malaysia.

Goals from Jeong Woo-Yeong, Lee Kang-in and Son Heung-Min made sure a point was enough to progress to the last 16 as their side placed second in the group [ESPN]. Saudi Arabia lay in wait for South Korea in the next phase, producing a match that sits evenly poised between two of the tournament favourites [The New Arab]. Oh is typically used as a substitute for Celtic and has featured 16 times from the bench in his 19 Scottish Premiership outings this term, per Transfermarkt. Charged with a similar role on international duty, the striker showed off his capabilities despite only entering the fray for the last 15 minutes plus stoppage time. According to Sofascore, the 22-year-old won a penalty that Tottenham Hotspur star Son eventually converted.

In addition, Oh completed 100% of his attempted passes, won half of his ground duels and saw one effort blocked, earning an average match rating of 7.1/10 for his display. Impacting both games he has played in at the tournament for South Korea, Oh will hope he can continue to shine when his side take on Saudi Arabia next Tuesday, knowing a place in the quarter-final is at stake. Interestingly, only David Turnbull has a better goal per 90-minute ratio in the Scottish Premiership than the Namyangju-born forward, which suggests that he does have something to offer upon his return [Fotmob]. Hopefully Oh can come back to Parkhead after his involvement at the tournament ends better for the experience.

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