football-forward
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| ▲ Oh Hyeon-gyu, forward for the South Korean men's national football team, speaks to reporters before a training session at Gudeok Stadium in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on June 13, 2023, in this photo provided by the Korea Football Association. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Oh Hyeon-gyu, forward for the South Korean men's national football team, speaks to reporters before a training session at Gudeok Stadium in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on June 13, 2023, in this photo provided by the Korea Football Association. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Oh Hyeon-gyu (C), forward for the South Korean men's national football team, takes part in a training session at Gudeok Stadium in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, on June 12, 2023, in this photo provided by the Korea Football Association. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
football-forward
Nat'l football team forward Oh Hyeon-gyu declares admiration for veteran teammates
By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, June 13 (Yonhap) -- As an up-and-coming striker on the South Korean men's national football team, Oh Hyeon-gyu will be battling two veterans, Hwang Ui-jo and Cho Gue-sung, for playing time on the first line of attack.
Oh, 22, doesn't see the two older teammates as rivals, per se. He declared his admiration for the two forwards Tuesday.
"Ui-jo and Gue-sung allowed me to dream of becoming the player that I am today. I've always admired them," Oh told reporters before a training session at Gudeok Stadium in Busan, 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul. South Korea will face Peru in Busan at 8 p.m. Friday.
"I think we all have our unique sets of strengths," Oh said. "If we can capitalize on them, I think the coach (Jurgen) Klinsmann will give us opportunities accordingly."
Oh enjoyed a successful first season with Celtic FC in the Scottish Premiership. He netted seven goals in 21 matches in all competitions, despite coming off the bench in most of them. Oh won three trophies in just half a season playing for Celtic, as the club captured the Scottish Premiership, Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup titles in the span of just a few months.
Hwang, 30, has lost a bit of his scoring touch that once made him the most productive scorer for the national team. He has netted just four goals in 17 matches for FC Seoul this year while on loan from Nottingham Forest.
Cho, 25, has seen his stock fall a bit after a two-goal burst against Ghana at last year's FIFA World Cup. The reigning K League 1 scoring champion for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors has four goals in nine matches this year.
Incidentally, both Hwang and Cho scored in the latest K League action over the weekend.
"I know the media were all over them leading up to this week, and I was so happy to see them score goals and silence their critics," Oh said. "I know I am going to hit rough patches at some point, and I will have to overcome them to become a better player."
Oh said he thinks he can be a more physical presence in the box than Hwang or Cho.
"Whether I play one minute or 90 minutes, I will do my best," he said. "I will try to show everything I have on the field."
Oh has made three appearances for the senior national team and is looking for his first goal. Oh had a goal wiped out by an offside call during South Korea's 2-1 loss to Uruguay on March 28.
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