National team striker Oh Hyun-gyu of Besiktas scored his first goal of the season in his sixth official match of the campaign. Besiktas beat Kaunas Zalgiris of Lithuania 3-0 in the first leg of their 2026-2027 UEFA Europa League (UEL) playoff at home, held at Tupras Stadium in Istanbul, Turkey, on the 21st Korean time, powered by Oh's opening goal.
Having won the first playoff match by a wide margin, Besiktas will advance to the group stage if it protects its aggregate lead in the second leg, to be played away.
Oh, who started as the center forward, put in a strong performance over about 60 minutes, scoring his first goal of the season and drawing a penalty.
Oh got things going in the sixth minute of the first half, finishing Rıdvan Yılmaz's corner kick with a header. It was his first goal in six official matches this season.
Oh, who moved from KRC Genk of Belgium to Besiktas in February this year, has established himself as a key forward, becoming the first player in club history to score in three consecutive matches after joining and recording eight goals and two assists in 16 official matches last season (six goals and one assist in 13 league matches).
After Amir Murillo's second goal put Besiktas up 2-0 in the 12th minute of the first half, Oh won a penalty that led to the clinching goal with a committed effort in the 12th minute of the second half. Oh drew a foul from the opponent by throwing himself at the ball inside the penalty area, and Orkun Kokcu, who stepped up to take the kick, sealed the match with a low right-footed shot into the bottom-right corner of the net.
Besiktas called Oh, who had done his job perfectly, to the bench in the 15th minute of the second half and brought on newly signed Serbian striker Dusan Vlahovic. The 190-centimeter striker is a proven asset who has played for Serbia since 2020, scoring 16 goals in 41 international appearances.
