Can Oh Hyun-kyu (22-Celtic) score his A-match debut at the nostalgic Big Bird (Suwon World Cup Stadium)?
Jürgen Klinsmann's men's national soccer team will take on Vietnam in a friendly at the Suwon World Cup Stadium on Sunday at 8pm. Frontline striker Oh Hyun-kyu will be hoping to make his debut against Vietnam.
Oh didn't get a chance in South Korea's win over Tunisia on Sept. 13. His rival for the position, Cho Kyu-sung, started and performed well, while Hwang Eui-jo scored a late goal. Oh, on the other hand, finished the game on the bench.
He is yet to score a goal on his A-match debut. In total, he has played six matches, including his debut against Iceland on Nov. 11 last year, when he came on as a late substitute for Cho Kyu-sung in the final test before the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, but he hasn't scored a goal.
Luck was not on his side. Against Uruguay in March, he rattled the net with a sensational turn and shot in the dying seconds, but was ruled offside. Against Peru in June, he had a one-on-one opportunity, but his shot was late and was saved by the opposing goalkeeper.
Things didn't work out for him at Celtic either. His place in the team has been shaky since suffering a calf injury ahead of the 2023-2024 season. The Japanese league's top scorer Kyogo Furuhashi is still going strong and fellow countryman Daizen Maeda is getting regular playing time. With the addition of Yang Hyun-joon, who joined the team from Gangwon FC in South Korea's K League 1, space is becoming increasingly tight.
It was under these difficult circumstances that the team played their A match against Vietnam at the Suwon World Cup Stadium. This is the same stadium where Oh played for Suwon Samsung before leaving for Scotland.
Oh joined Suwon after graduating from Matan Middle and Matan High School in Suwon and led the team's offense with 13 goals and three assists in 36 regular-season games last year. In the promotion playoffs, he scored a dramatic goal to save Suwon from relegation to the second tier.
In that sense, the Vietnam game could be an opportunity. Against a relatively weak opponent, it's possible that Klinsmann will use some of his reserves. It will be interesting to see if Oh Hyun-gyu can make his A-match debut and spark a rebound. 스포츠토토맨
