Oh Hyeon-gyu became the hero of the Korean national team when he scored in the 80th minute, helping his team reverse the score to win against the Czech Republic 2-1, in the opening match of Group A of the 2026 World Cup. This result helped the Korean national team "break the jinx" of not winning in the opening match in the previous 3 World Cups, 2014, 2018 and 2022.
After the match, Oh Hyeon-gyu, who came on as a substitute for Son Heung-min in the 69th minute, could not hide his emotion. He shared: "My feelings at this moment cannot be described in words. Actually, before today's match I felt very unwell. I had a fever of up to 38 degrees, and I really wondered if I could play today.
I think I was able to play and score today thanks to the dedicated care of all the staff and doctors here”.
Oh Hyeon-gyu was born in 2001, currently playing for Besiktas in Turkey. He debuted for the Korean national team at the end of 2022 but only scored his first goal for the national team nearly 2 years later. He is considered a backup option for other famous strikers of the Korean national team at this year's World Cup such as Son Heung-min or Cho Gue-sung.
Just being able to play at the World Cup like this has made me very touched and I am very grateful for that. As a striker, I feel lucky and grateful to the coach for giving me the opportunity, allowing me to score and ensure victory," Oh Hyeon-gyu shared.
With coach Hong Myung-bo, he was also very happy with his team's victory. At the 2014 World Cup, Mr. Hong also led the South Korean team, but at that time the team only won 1 point, ranking at the bottom of the group. He himself was heavily criticized afterwards.
After the match against the Czech Republic, Mr. Hong Myung-bo said: "I am again on the World Cup stage after 12 years since the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. I won my first victory as a coach, and if we include the playing time as a player, this victory also has great personal significance for me.
However, today's victory is created by the players. South Korea's victory in the opening match of the World Cup for the first time since 2010 is also very meaningful. The players played really excellently”.
Regarding the substitution of Oh Hyeon-gyu and bringing about brilliant success, he explained: "That was the tactical plan that we prepared. Although his physique was not perfect, he quickly improved his form and finally brought good results.
Also according to Mr. Hong Myung-bo, careful preparation in tactics and ability to adapt to heights are decisive factors for the victory of the Korean team.
