Former Celtic teammates Hyeon-gyu Oh and Luis Palma crossed paths once more on Thursday night as Genk and Lech Poznań completed their Europa League play-off tie.
Genk had all but secured their passage after a thumping 5–1 first-leg win in Poland, and although Poznań responded with a 2–1 victory in the return fixture, it wasn’t enough to turn the tie around.
Genk advance to the Europa League group stage while Poznań drop into the Conference League.
Palma started the match but was substituted at half-time after a frustrating 45 minutes, continuing what has been a difficult period for the Honduran winger since his Celtic exit. His lack of impact contrasted with the lively performance of Oh, who led the line for Genk across the full 90 minutes.
Despite their teams heading in different directions, the pair shared a moment of mutual respect at full-time. Palma took to Instagram shortly after, posting a photo of the two exchanging jerseys alongside a supportive message.
For Oh, it was another strong night as he keeps rebuilding his career in Belgium with game time and goals. For Palma, the Conference League now gives him the chance to find form again after a patchy spell.
Their Celtic exits took different paths, but the sight of both on the European stage showed how far the club’s former players have spread, one pushing on in the Europa League, the other looking to make his impact in the level below.
