Oh Hyeon-gyu (Beşiktaş), the "son of the chueotang restaurant," scored the winner in his first World Cup match, leading the Korea national soccer team to a come-from-behind victory.
After Oh Hyeon-gyu rippled the net, the fact that the chueotang restaurant run by his parents had gone on a break for nearly a month to cheer for the World Cup drew fresh attention.
Led by coach Hong Myeong-bo, the Korea national soccer team beat the Czech Republic 2-1 in a come-from-behind win in the first Group A match of the 2026 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) North and Central America World Cup group stage at Guadalajara Stadium in Zapopan, Mexico, at 11 a.m. on the 12th (Korea time). After conceding the opener to Ladislav Krejčí in the 14th minute of the second half, Hwang In-beom equalized in the 22nd, and Oh Hyeon-gyu scored the winner in the 35th.
Oh Hyeon-gyu entered the pitch in the 24th minute of the second half in place of Son Heung-min (LAFC). Eleven minutes after coming on, in the 35th, he burst into the box to meet Hwang In-beom's cross from the right flank and finished to unlock the Czech goal.
Oh Hyeon-gyu's winner gave Korea its first victory in an opening group match in 16 years, since the 2010 South Africa World Cup. With the win, Korea secured three points and started in second place in Group A behind Mexico, which beat South Africa 2-0 in the opener.
After the match, a closure notice from the chueotang restaurant run by Oh Hyeon-gyu's parents in Namyangju, Gyeonggi, also went viral. A store notice posted online reads, "We will be temporarily closed from June 8 to June 30 to cheer for the Republic of Korea national soccer team's World Cup matches," adding, "Our son is playing in this World Cup as a national team player, and as family we want to be on site to cheer together and lend our support."
A photo of a banner in front of the restaurant was widely shared. The banner read, "Closed," "We're off to cheer for the World Cup from June 8 to June 30," and "We're sorry to have made you come for nothing. We plan to resume normal business from July 1."
Oh Hyeon-gyu's ties to chueotang have long been known among soccer fans. In past interviews, he said several times that thanks to his parents' chueotang restaurant, he grew up eating chueotang from a young age.
With this goal, Oh Hyeon-gyu was able to shake off the regret from four years ago. He did not make the final roster for the 2022 Qatar World Cup. He traveled with the squad as a standby player in case of variables related to Son Heung-min's injury. Having served as a training partner as the "27th Taegeuk Warrior" without a squad number, four years later he took the field at the World Cup finals wearing No. 18 and became the hero of the winning goal.
Oh Hyeon-gyu has grown on the European stage. After stints with Celtic and Genk, he now plays for Beşiktaş in Türkiye. Named to the final roster ahead of the World Cup, he came on as a substitute against the Czech Republic and proved his presence as a striker in a short span.
After the match, Oh Hyeon-gyu said in a broadcast interview that he had not felt well before the game. "In fact, I felt really bad before the match and my fever went up to 38 degrees," he said. "Thanks to the staff and medical team taking great care of me, I was able to play."
He added, "Just playing in the World Cup is so overwhelming and moving, and the coach gave me a chance so I was able to score," and "As a striker, I'm relieved and grateful."
The Korea national soccer team will play its second group match against host Mexico at the same venue on the 19th. Oh Hyeon-gyu said, "Since it's Mexico's home match, we will prepare humbly to keep today's good flow and give 100%."