"He Looked Fine"... Why Oh Hyeon-gyu's Winning Goal Was Even More Surprising

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Oh Hyeon-gyu, the hero of the winning goal, overcame a high fever that reached 38°C (100°F) before the match to deliver a dramatic strike. Four years ago, at the Qatar World Cup, he was an alternate player without even a jersey number, but he has since grown steadily to become a key asset for the national team.

Reporter Bae Jung-hoon has the story.

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Oh Hyeon-gyu, who was uncertain to even play due to a sudden high fever before the match,

[Oh Hyeon-gyu/National Football Team Forward: After lunch, my fever suddenly spiked, and I had many thoughts about whether I would be able to play...]

gave his all after being substituted in the 24th minute of the second half.

And just 11 minutes later, he delivered a dramatic strike.

When Hwang In-beom received a long pass from Paik Seung-ho and sent in a cross, Oh charged in powerfully and connected with a one-touch left-footed shot. The ball deflected off the goalkeeper and became the go-ahead goal.

Completing his World Cup debut with a goal on his first shot, Oh celebrated with emotion and enjoyed the moment with his teammates.

[Oh Hyeon-gyu/National Football Team Forward: I think it's a feeling that can't be explained in words. As a striker, I'm just relieved and grateful that I could contribute to the victory by scoring.]

Four years ago, Oh was an alternate player without even a jersey number. Since then, he has grown rapidly after advancing to the European stage, proudly stepping onto the World Cup pitch wearing the number 18 jersey. Despite a sudden decline in his physical condition, he did not give up and achieved his dream.

[Oh Hyeon-gyu/National Football Team Forward: I wonder if I was sick today just so I could score that goal. I think my individual skills have grown a lot, and I had a conviction that I could score.]

Having proven himself as a key player for the national team, Oh is now setting his sights on the next match against Mexico.

[Oh Hyeon-gyu/National Football Team Forward: We will prepare well to give 100% or more by analyzing our opponent, just as we did today, while staying humble and maintaining the good momentum from today's victory, especially since the next match is Mexico's home game.]

(Video reporting: Hwang In-seok, Video editing: Park Chun-bae)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.