Celtic striker Hyeongyu Oh makes first AFC Asian Cup appearance, here’s how he got on

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The AFC Asian Cup has meant that several Celtic players have now been given an opportunity to try and claim some major silverware in Qatar.

Brendan Rodgers will be all too aware of his side’s absentee list, which includes Hyeongyu Oh, Daizen Maeda, Reo Hatate, Marco Tilio and Yang Hyun-jun.

South Korea are regarded as one of the favourites for the tournament and comprise some of the world’s most talented stars. Heung-min Son leads the line for Jurgen Klinsmann’s men alongside one-time Celtic target Cho Gue-sung; meanwhile, Kim Min-jae is charged with stewarding the Taeguek Warriors’ backline.

Celtic forward Oh and wideman Yang have also made the journey to the Middle East in search of Asian Cup glory and Rodgers will hope the experience of competing in an international tournament setting will benefit their development at Parkhead.

Oh makes his first appearance at AFC Asian Cup

In group E of the tournament, South Korea find themselves in a commanding position to quality for the Round of 16 following a victory over Bahrain followed by a last-gasp draw against Jordan, per BBC Sport.

With 21 minutes to go in the second match mentioned, Oh came off the bench to replace Cho as Klinsmann desperately attempted to get his side back into the game.

Enjoying a lively cameo as a substitute, the 22-year-old striker seemed to have an affect on the game, taking on two shots and playing one key pass despite only having 14 touches of the ball in total [Sofascore].

Giving a steely account of himself, the former Suwon Samsung Bluewings striker also completed 100% of his three attempted passes and made one clearance and a solitary interception.

Playing his part, Oh also helped to occupy opposition defenders as Yazan Al-Arab put through his own net in stoppage time to rescue a point for South Korea.

Oh will be relied upon for Celtic once he returns

Despite the Hoops’ well-documented search for a new striker, Oh will be relied upon by Rodgers once he returns from international duty.

Kyogo Furuhashi will need someone to share the heavy workload ahead for the Scottish champions and his understudy has already shown he can offer something different.

12 goals in 45 appearances is a record that Oh will be keen to improve on over the coming months; however, his first-team openings may be determined by whether Celtic do recruit a forward in the last ten days of the window [Transfermarkt].