South Korea made a winning start to their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign, securing a 2-1 win over Czechia in their opening game at Guadalajara Stadium on Friday.
The Asian side came from behind to claim victory courtesy of goals from In-Beom Hwang and Hyun-Gyu Oh, taking them level on points with Mexico at the top of Group A.
While there were no goals in the first half of the encounter, the match came alive in the second half as Czechia broke the deadlock against the run of play. Captain Ladislav Krejcí scored the opener, heading home from a long Vladimír Coufal throw-in.
Eight minutes later, South Korea leveled the scoreline through In-Beom Hwang’s perfectly placed finish, making it 1-1. Czechia thought they had retaken the lead in the 78th minute after Tomás Soucek headed home from a set-piece. However, the goal was ruled out for offside, keeping the scores level.
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The Taegeuk Warriors completed a remarkable comeback in the 80th minute. In-Beom Hwang added an assist to his earlier finish, playing a perfect pass across the face of goal for Hyun-Gyu Oh, who found the net to make it 2-1.
Czechia almost equalised few seconds later, but Kim Seung-Gyu made a brilliant save to keep his side’s lead. The goalkeeper denied another huge opportunity in the dying minutes of the game, ensuring South Korea secured all three points.
The Asian side will face off against Mexico next week Friday, as both sides battle for top spot in Group A. Meanwhile, Czechia and South Africa will meet on Thursday, with both teams aiming to secure their first points of the tournament.
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