Oh Hyeon-gyu scores twice as Besiktas beat Hoffenheim 3-2 in Europa League
In short
South Korea forward Oh Hyeon-gyu scored twice and set up another goal as Besiktas beat Hoffenheim 3-2 in the second round of the Europa League league phase. Cho Gue-sung of Midtjylland headed an equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Egnatia in the Conference League.
Read the full story 2 min read
South Korea national team forward Oh Hyeon-gyu scored twice and set up a third goal as Besiktas beat Hoffenheim 3-2 in the second round of the 2026-2027 Europa League league phase. Yonhap and most other outlets dated the match the 16th, Korean time, at the SNP Arena in Hoffenheim, Germany. Seoul Economic Daily and Hankook Ilbo gave the 15th, local time. The result gave Besiktas two wins from two league-phase games. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 ]
Oh started and began his night in the 15th minute of the second half, when his right-footed shot from a left-side corner fell to Amir Murillo, who pushed it in for the opening goal. Seoul Economic Daily and Hankook Ilbo said UEFA officially recorded the assist for Oh. Hoffenheim levelled in the 23rd minute through Pisnik Aslani. Oh then scored within seven minutes. In the 27th minute he finished a through pass from Junior Olaitan with his right foot on a counter-attack, and in the 34th minute he slid in to finish a low cross from Ilhan Pakeulleu (일한 파클르) on the right to make it 3-1. Hoffenheim pulled one back in the 43rd minute through Matsuda Koki but did not score again. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 6 ]
Dong-A Ilbo gave a different account of the 27th-minute goal, saying Oh was one-on-one with the goalkeeper and hit a low shot. Yonhap and Newsis reported that Oh took off his shirt after scoring and received a yellow card. Newsis reported that FotMob gave Oh a rating of 9.4, the highest of both teams, and named him man of the match, while Sofascore gave him 9.3. Newsis quoted Oh as saying the coach told the players they had to fight on the pitch, and that he had shown that. He said he would give everything as long as the coach and fans believe in him. [ 1 , 5 , 7 , 10 ]
Outlets said Oh had lost his place as first-choice striker to new signing Dusan Vlahovic. Seoul Economic Daily said Oh joined Besiktas in February for a fee of 14 million euros and had scored 8 goals with 4 assists in 16 matches in the second half of last season. Most outlets put his official-match total this season at 3 goals and 3 assists. Yonhap gave 3 goals and 2 assists. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 7 ]
Cho Gue-sung started for Midtjylland away to Egnatia in the first Conference League league-phase match. Midtjylland trailed 0-1 when he headed in a cross from Rasmus Kristensen in the 33rd minute of the first half. The match finished 1-1, and Cho has four goals and one assist in official matches this season. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 6 , 8 ]
Yonhap and Dong-A Ilbo also reported that Celtic's Yang Hyun-jun, who won gold at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, was not in the squad for the Europa League match against Benfica because of a hamstring injury. Celtic lost 1-4. Newsis said the goals were good news for interim national team coach Roberto Moreno ahead of the two November matches, after which a decision on extending his contract is due. [ 1 , 5 , 10 ]
Why it matters
Newsis said the goals are good news for interim national team coach Roberto Moreno, who is preparing for two matches in November and whose contract extension is to be decided after them. Oh had lost his starting place at Besiktas to new signing Dusan Vlahovic, and the outlets present this match as a change for him.
Key facts
- Besiktas beat Hoffenheim 3-2 in the second round of the 2026-2027 Europa League league phase at the SNP Arena in Hoffenheim, Germany, and have two wins from two games. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 7 ]
- Oh Hyeon-gyu started, assisted Amir Murillo's opening goal in the 15th minute of the second half, then scored in the 27th and 34th minutes to make it 3-1. [ 1 , 2 , 4 , 6 , 8 ]
- Hoffenheim scored in the 23rd minute of the second half through Pisnik Aslani and in the 43rd through Matsuda Koki. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 ]
- Oh received a yellow card after taking his shirt off to celebrate, according to Yonhap and Newsis. [ 1 , 2 , 7 , 10 ]
- Cho Gue-sung started for Midtjylland and scored a header in the 33rd minute of the first half to level at 1-1 away to Egnatia in the first Conference League league-phase match. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 ]
- The Conference League match ended 1-1, and Cho has four goals and one assist in official matches this season. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 8 ]
- Newsis reported that FotMob gave Oh a rating of 9.4, the highest of both teams, and named him man of the match. [ 7 , 10 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Oh Hyeon-gyu scored twice and assisted once in Besiktas's 3-2 win over Hoffenheim. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 ]
- Cho Gue-sung scored the 33rd-minute equaliser in Midtjylland's 1-1 draw with Egnatia. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 10 ]
- Yang Hyun-jun of Celtic, who won gold at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, was left out of the squad for the Benfica match with a hamstring injury, and Celtic lost 1-4. [ 1 , 5 ]
- Oh had lost his starting place to new signing Dusan Vlahovic before this match. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 7 , 10 ]
Still unclear
- Oh's assist and goal count for the season. Yonhap puts his official-match total at 3 goals and 2 assists, while Newsis, Seoul Economic Daily, Chosun Ilbo, Dong-A Ilbo and CBS NoCut News say 3 goals and 3 assists.
- The date of the Besiktas match. Most outlets say the 16th, Korean time, while Seoul Economic Daily and Hankook Ilbo say the 15th, local time.
- How long Oh played. Newsis says in one report that he played 85 minutes and in another that he played until the 40th minute of the second half.
- How the 27th-minute goal came about and what the assist looked like. Most outlets say Oh finished a through pass from Junior Olaitan, while Dong-A Ilbo says he was one-on-one with the goalkeeper and hit a low shot. Dong-A Ilbo's later summary says Oh's shot before the first goal was mishit, which other outlets do not say.
- Where the match was played and how Oh celebrated the 27th-minute goal. Most outlets say the SNP Arena in Hoffenheim, while a Dong-A Ilbo summary says Sinsheim's Rhein-Neckar Arena. The same summary says Oh kicked a corner flag after that goal, while other outlets mention only the shirt celebration.
- Cho's recovery from injury. Only Newsis says he was released early from the national team on the 17th of last month to recover from injury.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Yonhap published its report on Oh's two goals and one assist and Cho's equaliser. [ 1 ]
- Newsis published its match report on Besiktas's 3-2 win. [ 2 ]
- Newsis published an updated report with FotMob and Sofascore ratings and Oh's comments. [ 7 ]
- Newsis published a report on what the goals mean for interim national team coach Moreno. [ 10 ]