South Korea start their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 2-1 victory over Czechia in Group A in Zapopan, Mexico. The match is goalless in the opening half before Czechia take the lead in the 59th minute when Ladislav Krejci heads in. South Korea respond eight minutes later, with Hwang In-beom scoring the equaliser. Play continues to swing in the second half, including a would-be Czechia goal that is disallowed for offside. The decisive strike comes late: substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu scores in the 80th minute to put South Korea ahead. Sources also note a late save by South Korea goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu as Czechia try to draw level. Following the result, South Korea earn the same points as Mexico after Mexico defeat South Africa 2-0 in the tournament opener earlier on Thursday. South Korea’s next Group A match is against Mexico.
South Korea beat Czechia 2-1 in World Cup opener after late comeback
South Korea start their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 2-1 victory over Czechia in Group A in Zapopan, Mexico. The match is goalless in the opening half before Czechia take the lead in the 59th minute...
- South Korea defeat Czechia 2-1 in their 2026 World Cup Group A opener in Zapopan, Mexico.
- Czechia score first through Ladislav Krejci (59th minute).
- Hwang In-beom equalises for South Korea eight minutes later.
- Oh Hyeon-gyu scores the go-ahead goal for South Korea in the 80th minute.
- Mexico top the early standings after beating South Africa 2-0, and South Korea earn three points to join them.
South Korea opened its World Cup campaign with an impressive 2-1 victory over Czechia, putting itself in a strong position in Group A and setting up a crucial showdown with Mexico. Korea showed resilience throughout the match, overcoming a determined Czech side and capitalizing on its scoring opportunities when they mattered most. The win earned…
2 months agoSouth Korea came from behind to beat the Czech Republic 2-1 on Thursday evening in Guadalajara to start the 2026 World Cup with a deserved win, even if it was touch and go for a while. It was a fine performance from coach Hong Myung-bo’s men after a number of missed chances meant that it looked like, for a while, the points were slipping away. In the end, it is a first opening win at the World Cup since 2010 and sets the Taeguk Warriors nicely to get out Group A and into the knockout stages. The three points are welcome but also is the fact that Korea played some exciting and attractive soccer, in contrast to the physical Czechs who mostly threatened from set pieces. Hwang In-beom was the star as the midfielder scoring a fine equalizer and then assisting Oh Hyeon-gyu for the winning goal. After all the criticism and uncertainty, there were big smiles on the faces of the Korean players and their army of fans in Mexico. The first half belonged to the 2002 semifinalists. Lee Kang-in was pulling the strings going forward, picking out passes and finding space. Son Heung-min is still the fa
2 months agoSouth Korea came from behind to beat the Czech Republic 2-1 on Thursday evening in Guadalajara to start the 2026 World Cup with a deserved win, even if it was touch and go for a while. It was a fine performance from coach Hong Myung-bo’s men after a number of missed chances meant that it looked like, for a while, the points were slipping away. In the end, it is a first opening win at the World Cup since 2010 and sets the Taeguk Warriors nicely to get out Group A and into the knockout stages. The three points are welcome but also is the fact that Korea played some exciting and attractive soccer, in contrast to the physical Czechs who mostly threatened from set pieces. Hwang In-beom was the star as the midfielder scoring a fine equalizer and then assisting Oh Hyeon-gyu for the winning goal. After all the criticism and uncertainty, there were big smiles on the faces of the Korean players and their army of fans in Mexico. The first half belonged to the 2002 semifinalists. Lee Kang-in was pulling the strings going forward, picking out passes and finding space. Son Heung-min is still the fa
2 months agoSouth Korea rallied from a goal down to defeat the Czech Republic 2-1 and make a winning start to their World Cup Group A campaign thanks to goals by Hwang In-beom and Oh Hyeon-gyuon Thursday. The Koreans joined Mexico on three points at the top of the standings after the co-hosts defeated nine-man South Africa 2-0 in the tournament […] The post Hwang and Oh strike as South Korea fight back to sink Czech Republic appeared first on nationnews.com.
2 months agoGUADALAJARA, Mexico (AFP) -- South Korea got their World Cup campaign off to a winning start by beating the Czech Republic 2-1 Thursday after finally converting some of the many chances they created. Until the 80th-minute mark it seemed that the Czechs would punish the Koreans' wastefulness, but substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu scored the decisive goal in a Guadalajara stadium that was far from full. Son Heung-min's Koreans had dominated the first half but were unable to find the net. The former Tottenham star blasted one effort over the bar before making a driving run to his left and evading two Czech defenders only to shoot wide. An entertaining second half began with the Czechs scoring against the run of play as Ladislav Krejci rose at the front post to power a header past Korean goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu. Hwang In-beom finally made the Korean pressure pay with a clever equalizer as he faked a shot and then caressed the ball over Czech 'keeper Matek Kovar on 67 minutes. The Czechs had a goal disallowed before Hwang added to his goal with an assist, crossing from the right for Oh to slot home. When the final whistle sounded after a frantic end to the game, Son sank to the turf in joy. South Korea face co-hosts Mexico, who beat South Africa 2-0 in the tournament's opening Group A game earlier Thursday, on June 18. The Czechs play the South Africans in Atlanta on the same day.
2 months agoSouth Korea get off to winning start after rallying from goal down to beat Czechia The GuardianWorld Cup 2026: South Korea 2-1 Czech Republic - In-Beom Hwang inspires comeback win after Ladislav Krejci goal Sky SportsSouth Korea 2-1 Czechia (12 Jun, 2026) Game Analysis ESPNWorld Cup 2026 live: Hwang In-Beom levels for South Korea after Ladislav Krejci headed Czechia in front The IndependentWorld Cup 2026 day 1 — as it happened The Times
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