South Korea produced one of the opening weekend’s most impressive performances at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, coming from behind to beat Czechia 2-1 in Group A. Goals from Hwang Inbeom and Oh Hyeongyu sealed the comeback win at Guadalajara Stadium, with Hwang scoring one and creating the other.
How the Match Unfolded: Son, Krejci, and a Stunning Turnaround
South Korea made the brighter start Son Heung-Min firing over early, with Lee Han-Beom heading over the bar before Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-In forced a save from goalkeeper Matej Kovรกr with an effort from outside the box. The Czechs, returning to the World Cup for the first time since 2006, rarely threatened in the first half.
The second half opened in much the same vein. Son was denied again by Kovar early in the second period, and it looked like the Koreans would struggle to convert their dominance into goals. Then, against the run of play, Czechia struck. Captain Ladislav Krejci soared to meet a long throw from Vladimir Coufal on the right, thundering a header past a helpless Kim Seunggyu in the Korean goal in the 59th minute.
South Korea equalised in the 67th minute when Hwang scored after faking a shot with a nifty move to clear two Czech players, finishing after a sublime pass from Lee Kangin. Tomรกลก Souฤek then thought he had restored the Czech lead when he headed in from a set-piece, but the West Ham midfielder was flagged for offside. Moments later, South Korea made the Czechs pay for that let-off. Oh Hyeongyu completed the turnaround in the 80th minute, tucking in Hwang’s low ball from the right. Late on, Kim Seunggyu denied Michal Sadilek to secure all three points.
2026 FIFA World Cup Group A Preview: Mexico, South Korea, South Africa, Czechia โ
South Korea and Mexico Top Group A
The victory placed South Korea level with Mexico at the top of Group A after the opening round of fixtures. The South Koreans, ranked 25th by FIFA, had most of the significant scoring chances against 38th-ranked Czechia throughout the match. Led by Son Heung-min and driven by the creativity of Lee Kang-In and the decisive impact of Hwang, this is a Korean side that opponents in the knockout stage would be wise to fear.
Both teams return to action on June 18 South Korea will face Mexico, while Czechia take on South Africa.
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