South Korea came from behind to beat Czech Republic 2:1 in their first match of the 2026 World Cup, turning a difficult night at Estadio Guadalajara into a deserved Group A victory.
Ladislav Krejci gave the Czechs the lead after the break, but In-Beom Hwang equalised with a composed finish before substitute Hyeon-Gyu Oh completed the comeback from close range. The result puts South Korea level with Mexico at the top of Group A after Mexico’s 2:0 win over South Africa.
Hwang Leads South Korea Back Into the Match
Myung-Bo Hong’s team controlled large parts of the game and looked sharper in possession, even though they had to recover from a frustrating spell in front of goal. Heung-Min Son was heavily involved and found several promising positions, but the former Spurs forward could not find his usual accuracy.
South Korea had the better chances before the interval. Kang-In Lee forced the first save with a strike from distance in the 14th minute, while Son missed the clearest chance of the first half when he shot wide in the 39th minute.
The best opening for Son came shortly after the restart, but Czech goalkeeper Matej Kovar stood firm and denied him. Three minutes later, Czech Republic punished those misses. Vladimir Coufal launched a long throw into the box, and Krejci attacked the near post to head in with his side’s first effort on target.
That lead did not last long. In the 67th minute, Kang-In Lee found In-Beom Hwang, who cut inside and guided a neat finish inside the post to bring South Korea level.
Oh Completes Comeback After Czech Offside Let-Off
Czech Republic briefly thought they had regained the lead when Tomas Soucek headed in from another set-piece, but the West Ham midfielder was flagged offside and the goal was ruled out.
South Korea then made their pressure count. In the 80th minute, Hwang drove a low cross into the area and Hyeon-Gyu Oh finished from close range to make it 2:1. The Czechs pushed late and almost snatched a point in stoppage time, but Seung-Gyu Kim saved from Michal Sadilek in the 93rd minute to secure the win.
The match showed a clear contrast in styles. Czech Republic relied heavily on direct balls, long throws and set-pieces, while South Korea moved the ball with more tempo and imagination. They finished with 62 per cent possession and completed 464 passes, almost twice the Czech total of 242.
Son remains the biggest name in the squad, but this win showed South Korea have more than one route to goal. Hwang and Kang-In Lee were the standout players, giving the team control, creativity and the quality needed to break down a physical Czech side.
Oh Reveals Illness Before Scoring Winner
After the match, Hyeon-Gyu Oh admitted he had almost missed the game after feeling unwell before kick-off.
“I cannot explain my emotions in words,” he said. “My body temperature today had gone up to 38 degrees because I wasn’t feeling well.
“I wondered if I could even play. It was possible thanks to our staff, and medical team. Playing at the World Cup itself is something that I should be grateful and thankful for. As a striker I am relieved and thankful.”
Head coach Myung-Bo Hong praised his players for staying calm after falling behind.
“It was our first game and a very difficult one. The win itself makes me happy, but what’s even more positive is that our boys won by not giving up.
“I knew that we were more than capable of winning, so at 1:1, I told the boys to keep playing the way we’ve been playing.”
Czech Republic coach Miroslav Koubek admitted his team made costly errors, but accepted that South Korea were probably the stronger side overall.
“We played very well, it could have been a draw and we could have won as well,” said Koubek, whose side now turn their attention to their second group game against South Africa on Thursday.
