A scene from the tvN variety program ‘You Quiz on the Block’. Oh Hyeon-gyu celebrates in the Group A opener between South Korea and the Czech Republic at the 2026 North and Central America World Cup. Yonhap News.

With South Korea national team forward Oh Hyeon-gyu (Besiktas) leading the team to victory with the decisive goal against the Czech Republic, a diary entry he wrote four years ago is being revisited.

On the 12th (Korean time), at Guadalajara Stadium in Jalisco, Mexico, in the Group A opener of the 2026 International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) World Cup in North and Central America against the Czech Republic, Oh struck the winner in the 35th minute of the second half to complete a 2-1 come-from-behind victory for South Korea.

Right after the match, the official social media of the tvN variety program ‘You Quiz on the Block’ reposted past footage of Oh. The post read, “Four years ago, Oh Hyeon-gyu promised that at the 2026 World Cup in North and Central America he would play wearing a squad number, and he has done it. Congratulations to Oh Hyeon-gyu, the scorer of the come-from-behind winner against the Czech Republic, on his first World Cup goal.”

A scene from the tvN variety program ‘You Quiz on the Block’.

The accompanying video shared the story of Oh joining the national team as a standby member at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Appearing on tvN’s ‘You Quiz on the Block’ in 2022, he recalled, “I did not think I made a sacrifice. I was grateful that, thanks to Heung-min, I was able to gain a good experience.”

A scene from the tvN variety program ‘You Quiz on the Block’.

The broadcast also revealed a diary that Oh had written himself. In it, he wrote, “Today, every player wore a uniform and took a group photo. But my uniform did not have a number,” and, “To be honest, I felt embarrassed and upset.”

He went on to encourage himself, saying, “I only need to get through today. Prepare for the next four years and come back proudly wearing a squad number. You can do it, Hyeon-gyu. This is the beginning.”

The resolve he wrote in that diary has become reality. Having once expressed disappointment about a numberless uniform, Oh proved his promise by scoring the winner against the Czech Republic.

Meanwhile, under head coach Hong Myung-bo, the South Korean national team earned a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic at Guadalajara Stadium in Mexico, powered by consecutive goals from Hwang In-beom and Oh Hyeon-gyu, in their Group A opener of the 2026 World Cup in North and Central America.