"That was really a crazy game today! Even though we played away, I felt like we were at home." Hyun-gyu Oh said that after Beşiktaş's 3-2 away win at 1899 Hoffenheim in the Europa League, a night when he scored twice and left with the match ball as well as a booking for covering the corner flag with his shirt. [Dusan Vlahovic] was ruled out at short notice, so Oh was thrown into the starting line-up and made the most of it.
Oh's response on the night
Oh's second goal was the one that drew the yellow card from referee Lawrence Visser. The celebration fit the mood of the evening, because this was not a quiet away performance from Beşiktaş. Oh said Hoffenheim were "very aggressive" and added that he had to be stronger than them from the start.
The numbers match the feel of it. Oh now has 2 goals in 2 Europa League appearances for Beşiktaş, and he was on the pitch for 85 minutes at Hoffenheim while also contributing an assist. His 9.41 rating in the match was the highest of his European outings so far.
The Stuttgart move that fell apart
There is also the backstory from last summer, when Oh was on the verge of a move to VfB Stuttgart. He had already landed in Stuttgart to finalise the transfer before it collapsed, after knee problems were discovered during the examinations.
That history gives the Hoffenheim night a little extra edge, even if the more immediate story is the form itself. Beşiktaş have now won their second Europa League match out of two, and Oh has played a big part in that start with his two goals. Hoffenheim, meanwhile, have lost both of their opening games and have conceded 5 goals already.
As Oh put it, "As long as my coach and the fans trust me, I will fight and give my best." Beşiktaş's next European outing will tell us more about whether this pace holds, but for now the concrete fact is simple: Oh left Hoffenheim with two goals, a booking and Beşiktaş's travelling support in full voice.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
