S. Korean players in Europe held scoreless

Oct 23, 2026, 09:51 am

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Beşiktaş striker Oh Hyeon-gyu reacts in frustration as the match against Crystal Palace does not go as he had hoped during the third match of the UEFA Europa League (UEL) league phase at Tüpraş Stadium in Istanbul, Türkiye, on Oct. 21 (local time). / Reuters, Yonhap

South Korean footballers playing in Europe, including Oh Hyeon-gyu (25) and Cho Gue-sung (28), all failed to score.

Beşiktaş started Oh Hyeon-gyu, a first-choice striker for the South Korean national football team, against England's Crystal Palace in the third match of the UEFA Europa League (UEL) league phase at Tüpraş Stadium in Istanbul, Türkiye, on Oct. 21 (local time). However, the team struggled to make an impact and had to settle for a 2-2 draw.

With the draw, Beşiktaş moved into eighth place with two wins and one draw (seven points), while Crystal Palace stood 15th with one win, one draw and one loss (four points).

Oh, who had delivered an outstanding performance with two goals and one assist in the previous second-round match, led the attack as the lone striker in a 4-1-4-1 formation. However, he managed just one shot in 75 minutes before being substituted in the 30th minute of the second half, failing to register a goal or assist. Sofascore gave Oh a rating of 5.9, the lowest among players from both teams.

In another third-round UEL league-phase match, Celtic of Scotland, without Yang Hyun-jun (24) due to a hamstring injury, suffered a 2-1 comeback defeat to Spain's Celta Vigo. The defeat extended Celtic's losing streak to three matches, leaving the team 35th among 36 clubs. Celtic, which recorded its first victory, stood 25th with one win and two losses (three points).

Yang won a gold medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which concluded earlier this month. However, since returning to his club with a hamstring injury, he has missed four consecutive matches, including two domestic league matches and two UEL fixtures.

Meanwhile, Denmark's FC Midtjylland, which fielded Hong Hyun-seok (27) and Cho Gue-sung in succession, lost 1-0 to Belgium's Sint-Truiden in the second match of the UEFA Conference League (UECL) league phase at MCH Arena in Herning, Denmark, on the same day.

Midtjylland, which had struggled to secure a 1-1 draw in its opening match thanks to Cho's equalizer, remained winless for a second consecutive match following the defeat. With one draw and one loss (one point), the team stood 25th among 36 clubs. Sint-Truiden, which recorded its second consecutive victory, moved into seventh place with six points.

Hong, who started as a central midfielder, failed to capitalize on his scoring opportunities. Two consecutive shots he attempted in front of goal in the 21st minute of the first half went wide, while another effort in the 27th minute was saved by the goalkeeper.

Cho replaced Hong at the start of the second half. In the 36th minute of the second half, he attempted his first shot with his right foot from near the penalty arc, but the ball went wide of the left post, leaving him without a goal.

Elsewhere, Serbia's Crvena Zvezda, the club of Kim Ye-geon (18), drew 2-2 with Denmark's Copenhagen in the second match of the UECL league phase.

Kim remained on the bench for the second consecutive UECL league-phase match. His team remained winless for a second straight match, with one draw and one loss (one point), leaving it in 22nd place. Copenhagen stood 10th with four points from one win and one draw.

Cho Seong-jun

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