Oh Hyeon-gyu scores go-ahead goal in 3-1 win over Hibernian

Oh Hyeon-gyu celebrates after scoring a goal for Celtic against Hibernian at Celtic Park in Glasgow on Saturday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Oh Hyeon-gyu scored a crucial go-ahead goal to lead Celtic to their ninth consecutive league victory on Saturday, beating Hibernian 3-1 at home in Glasgow, Scotland.

Celtic fell behind in the first half, conceding a penalty in the 39th minute to go down 1-0. A penalty of their own tied things up for the home side in the 52nd minute, with Jota delivering from the spot.

Despite 42 points separating them on the league table, there was nothing to separate the two teams on the pitch until the final 10 minutes of the game.

Oh, substituted on in the 60th minute, provided that crucial breakthrough with a diving header in the 81st minute to send a powerful corner flying into the back of the net.

Sead Haksabanovic added No. 3 in injury time to give the home fans a 3-1 victory. Hibernian had been down to 10 men since halfway through the first half, so anything less than a win would have been a serious disappointment for the Glasgow team.

Saturday’s goal marks Oh’s second in the Scottish Premiership, after one against St. Mirren earlier this month. The young Korean international also picked up a goal in the Scottish FA Cup in February.

Oh signed with Celtic on Jan. 25 in a deal reportedly valued at £2.5 million ($3-million) after a drawn-out transfer saga that saw the Scottish club’s offer initially rejected by the Suwon Samsung Bluewings before both Oh and his former manager made it clear they thought he deserved the opportunity.

Oh scored 14 goals in 39 appearances across all competitions in the 2022 K League season. He was called up to the senior Korean squad for the first time on Nov. 11, playing 18 minutes of a friendly against Iceland, and landing on the reserves list for the 2022 Qatar World Cup.

The snappy Korean midfielder has also been called up for international duty this week, having gone to Qatar for the World Cup last year as a reserve player rather than a member of the squad.

This will be the first time Oh has been called up for the Korean squad during an international break. He previously appeared against Iceland during a game scheduled while Europe-based players were unavailable.

Oh could well see more action than expected over the international break as Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Hwang Hee-chan is expected to be out with an injury. Korea face Colombia on Friday and Uruguay on March 28.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]