Besiktas' Oh Hyun-gyu Scores First Goal of the Season, Boosting Europa League Main Stage Hopes

South Korean national team striker Oh Hyun-gyu of Besiktas has scored his first official goal of the season in the Turkish professional football league, coming in his sixth match.

Besiktas secured a comfortable 3-0 victory over Zalgiris Kaunas of Lithuania in the first leg of the 2026-2027 UEFA Europa League (UEL) playoff, held early this morning (KST) at Tüpraş Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, led by Oh's opening goal.

Starting as the central striker and playing for about 60 minutes, Oh not only netted his debut goal of the season but also drew a penalty, contributing to the team's sealing goal.

With this commanding win in the first leg, Besiktas has brightened its prospects of advancing to the UEL main stage.

They will secure a spot in the main tournament if they maintain their aggregate lead in the away second leg.

Besiktas took an early lead just six minutes into the match thanks to Oh's opening goal.

Oh dashed toward the left side of the penalty area to meet a corner kick delivered by Rıdvan Yılmaz, connecting with a high-jumping header to pierce the lower right corner of the net.

This marks Oh's first goal in six official matches this season.

Oh had previously recorded only a single assist this season.

Buoyed by the momentum, Besiktas pulled further ahead with an additional goal by Amir Murillo six minutes later, comfortably finishing the first half with a 2-0 lead.

In the 12th minute of the second half, Oh's determination laid the groundwork for another goal.

Oh threw his body toward the ball inside the penalty area with proactive play, drawing a foul from the opponent to win a penalty kick. Orkun Kökçü stepped up as the kicker and found the lower right corner of the net with a low, right-footed shot, sealing the victory.

Having perfectly fulfilled his role, Oh was substituted in the 15th minute of the second half, making way for newly acquired Serbian star striker Dusan Vlahovic.

Standing at 190 cm, tall striker Vlahovic has been playing for the Serbian national team since 2020, netting 16 goals in 41 A-matches as a proven asset.

After leaving Fiorentina in Italy in January 2022 and transferring to Juventus, he enjoyed a stellar four-and-a-half-season run, recording 68 goals in 168 official matches.

Although a fierce battle for the starting position has become inevitable with the addition of a formidable competitor like Vlahovic, Oh proved his worth.

Having donned the Besiktas uniform after leaving KRC Genk in Belgium in February of this year, Oh has established himself as a key forward. He previously set a club record by scoring in three consecutive matches immediately after joining, and posted 8 goals and 2 assists in 16 official matches, including 6 goals and 1 assist in 13 league matches last season.
 

(Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.