Oh Hyeon-gyu scores double in Genk's 2-1 comeback win over Mechelen

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Oh Hyeon-gyu scores double in Genk's 2-1 comeback win over Mechelen

Published: 29 Sep. 2024, 13:47 Updated: 29 Sep. 2024, 17:53

PAIK JI-HWAN
paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr

KRC Genk forward Oh Hyeon-gyu, right, celebrates scoring during a Belgian Pro League match against K.V. Mechelen at the Cegeka Arena in Genk, Belgium, on Saturday. [AFP/YONHAP]

KRC Genk forward Oh Hyeon-gyu scored a double to lead his side to a 2-1 comeback Saturday over K.V. Mechelen, picking up his second and third goals of the 2024-25 season.

After Genk conceded the opening goal at Cegeka Arena in Belgium to Kerim Mrabti in the 60th minute, Oh earned Genk a penalty and stood up to finish the job in the 76th minute.

The Korean forward also broke the deadlock, slotting the ball with a tidy shot in stoppage time to seal the 2-1 victory and three points.

Saturday’s double comes after Oh scored his first goal for Genk on Sept. 22, having recorded three goals and one assist so far in the Belgian Pro League since joining the team from Celtic ahead of the 2024-25 campaign.

Oh, 23, had an up-and-down 18-month spell at Celtic in Scotland. He played as a regular pick until manager Brendon Rodgers stopped playing him in February.

Oh has seen little playing time since joining Genk, only playing 85 minutes across seven league matches. He has yet to start a match for the team.

His double is still a bright sign ahead of a Korean national squad announcement from manager Hong Myung-bo on Monday. Hong is due to announce the roster ahead of Korea’s two 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Jordan and Iraq during the international break that starts from Oct. 7.

Oh became a regular national team pick after joining Celtic in January 2023 and made it onto the Asian Cup roster in January this year, but he failed to score a single goal during that one-year stint with Korea and has not been called up since the end of the Asian Cup in February.

Genk will be back in action in an away match against K.V. Kortrijk on Oct. 5. Genk sit at the top of the league table with seven wins, one draw and one loss as of press time Sunday.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]