Former Celtic striker Hyeon-gyu Oh scored to send South Korea to the 2026 World Cup this morning.
Myung-Bo Hong's side took on Iraq away from home as they secured their place at the tournament, which will be held across the United States, Canada, and Mexico next summer.
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Oh started on the bench and was introduced at the hour mark. Three minutes later, South Korea took the lead through Jin-Gyu Kim, who was brought on at the break.
Ex-Celtic man Oh then sealed the victory with eight minutes remaining, firing home, first-time, from inside the box after a fine low cross.
Oh Hyeon-gyu scores his 3rd goal in 5 games to push the KNT lead to 2 and all but seal Korea’s 11th WORLD CUP qualification! Jeon Jin-woo debuts for the KNT with an assist! 🫡🇰🇷#오현규 #krcgenk https://t.co/d3Y7ZwkdfS pic.twitter.com/4IQMrAvaaZ
— Joel Kim (@KNTFootball) June 5, 2025
Current Parkhead winger Yang Hyun-jun was an unused substitute in the match.
His old teammate, Oh, spent a year and a half in Glasgow's east end, making 47 appearances across all competitions.
He was sold to Genk last summer and has found his feet with the Belgian top-flight outfit, scoring 12 times in 41 games.
Brought to Celtic by Ange Postecoglou to replace Giorgos Giakoumakis, the 24-year-old never really got going in green and white.
His strike against Iraq on Friday was only his third for his country.
Up top, Adam Idah is the sole recognised striker currently at Celtic. Brendan Rodgers' desire to sign a new number nine in January following Kyogo Furuhashi's exit was apparent.
His wish wasn't granted, though, and Daizen Maeda, rather successfully, was utilised as a striker in the second half of last season.
The Scottish Premiership champions have reportedly put a £21 million valuation on his services ahead of the summer transfer window.
