THE ball was probably destined to finish in the back of the Hibernian net when Celtic centre half Cameron Carter-Vickers got the end of the Luis Palma corner at Parkhead on Wednesday night.
But, like all good strikers, Oh Hyeon-gyu made sure he got a slight touch on the defender’s shot and claimed the opening goal of the cinch Premiership encounter himself.
The South Korean, who had been preferred to Kyogo Furuhashi in attack by his manager Brendan Rodgers, immediately reeled away to celebrate with the jubilant crowd and his delighted team mates.
Unfortunately for Oh, the stadium announcer thought, like many people in the crowd, that Carter-Vickers had got the final touch and it was the United States internationalist who ended up being congratulated.
“It was a very important touch,” he said with a grin as he looked back on the 4-1 triumph over Hibs. “But I don’t think anyone realised I had touched it. None of the players believed me.
“Even the stadium announcer said it was Cameron’s goal. I said, ‘No! No! No!’ But I was very thankful to Cameron for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the goal.”
The £2.5m signing is, too, confident that more goals will come in the weeks ahead after taking his tally for the 2023/24 campaign to five.
Oh is certainly eager to build on his showing against Hibs, stay in the starting line-up and ensure that he is involved with his national team when they participate in the Asian Cup in Qatar next month.
“In December I want to play as many games and score as many times as I can,” he said. “I want to contribute towards the team and also get to the Asian Cup.
“I was very happy to get the opportunity to be in the starting XI and personally I was very happy to score two goals.
“I just tried not to be too lazy, to do what the manager told me. It was important for me to play aggressively. I want to grasp these opportunities when they come.”
Oh continued: “I think I managed to do that. It’s important for me to take these opportunities whenever I am in the starting line-up.
“I don’t get that many opportunities to start, but whenever they come I play like it’s my last game. If I do what the manager asks and if I do my best, the goals tend to follow.
“Every training session feels like a competition, but the manager and coaching staff all help me with lots of advice.”
First team starts have proved hard for Oh to come by since he was signed from Suwon Samsung Bluewings in his homeland back in January due to the form of Furuhashi.
However, he believes he has benefitted greatly from training alongside the Japanese internationalist, who he is now hoping to displace, and his other Celtic team mates.
“I know how much Kyogo has contributed to this club,” he said. “I feel it’s an honour to play with him and I respect everything he does. I can learn from Kyogo.
“I look up to other players here and they all mention how hard the training is. I am experiencing it now and it helps me improve a lot, physically and mentally.
“My English is getting better too! I can speak to everyone, but I need to keep it going!”
