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South Korea come from behind to defeat Czech Republic in FIFA World Cup Group A tie
FIFA World Cup 2026: South Korea came from behind to defeat the Czech Republic 2-1 at the Guadalajara Stadium.
South Korea came from behind to stun the Czech Republic in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group A encounter at the Guadalajara Stadium in Mexico on Friday. Hwang In-beom and Oh Hyeon-gyu got on the scoring board as South Korea outclassed Czechia 2-1 to register a win in their opening match of the tournament. The first half of the contest remained goalless, and there wasn't much to talk about the first 45 minutes of the tie. However, the second half made up for the lack of thrill and excitement, and both teams put on quite a show in front of a robust crowd.
The Czech Republic took the early lead in the contest in the 59th minute. However, Korea staged a memorable comeback, netting two goals in no time, and there was no coming back for Czechia from there. With this result, South Korea moved onto the winner's board in Group A alongside co-hosts Mexico, who defeated South Africa in the tournament opener.
Before this match against the Czech Republic, six of South Korea's seven World Cup finals wins had come against European opposition, and the latest was their seventh.
How did the game unfold?
The opening goal of the contest came in the 59th minute as Czechia stunned South Korea, taking a 1-0 lead on Ladislav Krejci's goal. A long throw from former West Ham player Vladimir Coufal found the head of Wolves’ Ladislav Krejci, and just like that, the Czech Republic took a lead.
However, South Korea answered back soon enough, making it 1-1 just before the water break in the second half. Hwang In-beom showed great composure to equalise for South Korea, and the Czech Republic's lead lasted just eight minutes.
Hwang In-beom sent the Czech defender Robin Hranac flying. The ball was chipped over goalkeeper Matej Kohjar, and it landed beyond the line despite an effort to stop it by Ladislav Krejci.
Then, in the 77th minute, it seemed that the Czech Republic once again took the lead. Tomas Soucek deposited the ball into the goal from a free kick. The entire team started celebrating; however, the referee played spoilsport by raising his flag for offside. The replays then vindicated his decision as the player was indeed offside.
South Korea capitalised on this and just like that, the side took the 2-1 lead. Hwang Im-beom made his presence felt once again as he played the ball down the right. He made a superb cross, and Oh Hyeon-gyu made the most of it, making a true connection from a few yards. His shot hit the forearm of Matej Kovar and flew into the far corner.
South Korea held on from there, and Czechia didn't manage to get the equaliser. Six minutes were added to the stoppage time, but Czechia still couldn't penetrate Korea's defence and the contest ended 2-1 in Korea's favour.
