Oh Hyeon-gyu scores as Celtic clinch Premiership title

Football

Published: 08 May. 2023, 09:48 Updated: 08 May. 2023, 17:11

Oh Hyeon-gyu scores as Celtic clinch Premiership title

Celtic's Oh Hyeon-gyu celebrates scoring his side's second goal during a Scottish Premiership match against Heart of Midlothian at Tynecastle Park in Edinburgh on Sunday. [AP/YONHAP]

Celtic clinched their second successive Scottish Premiership title on Sunday, beating Heart of Midlothian 2-0 with Korean forward Oh Hyeon-gyu scoring the security goal.

Playing on the road at Tynecastle Park in Edinburgh, Celtic looked likely to fall behind in the first half as they struggled to gain much momentum on the ball. That all changed minutes before the break, however, when Hearts’ Alex Cochrane was sent off for a foul on Daizen Maeda.

Star striker Kyogo Furuhashi finally broke through for the visitors in the 67th minute, with Oh coming on as a substitute in the 70th minute and scoring 10 minutes later.

Both Furuhashi and Oh’s goals came from good work on the wings, with Reo Hatate providing a cross in for Furuhashi to convert and Aaron Mooy setting up Oh.

Celtics goal scorers Kyogo Furuhashi and Oh Hyeon-gyu celebrate with teammates after winning the Scottish Premiership at Tynecastle Park in Edinburgh on Sunday. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Oh’s third Scottish Premiership goal of the season came just four months after he joined 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 before both Oh and the Bluewings 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 midfielder has scored four goals across all competitions for Celtic — three in the Premiership and one in the Scottish FA Cup.

Statistically, Oh has proven to be one of the most deadly goal scorers in the Celtic lineup in the second half of the season, averaging 0.90 goals per 90 minutes. That stat, significantly boosted by the fact that he has scored multiple goals despite rarely starting, puts him behind only Furuhashi, who has 30 goals this season and averages 1.01 per 90 minutes.

Oh is the third Korean to play for Celtic and the third to win a Scottish Premiership title — both Cha Du-ri and Ki Sung-yueng topped the table with the Scottish club in the 2011-12 season.

Sunday’s win marks Celtic’s second consecutive league title and their 53rd in total, putting them two behind Rangers for the most in league history. Having earlier won the Scottish League Cup in February, Celtic will make a bid for the third triple in the club’s history when they take on Inverness in the Scottish Cup final on June 3.

“I am really proud of an outstanding group,” Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou said after the game. “The standard has been ridiculous from the players this season. It really has been incredible. I have never really had to intervene. It is the easiest job in the world, watching these guys drive their own standards every day.”

Celtic still have four league games and the Scottish Cup to play this season, and although the competition is won the team will still be looking for a big victory against die-hard rivals Rangers next week.

After the season ends, Celtic will be jetting off to Korea where they will face Wolverhampton Wanderers in an exhibition match in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on July 26.

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