South Korea launched their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group A campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 comeback victory over Czech Republic.
Ladislav Krejci gave the Czechs the lead in Guadalajara, Mexico, heading home from a long throw after 59 minutes to silence the South Korean support.
But South Korea responded quickly through Hwang In-beom, who finished a flowing move created by Lee Kang-in, curling a precise strike into the bottom corner to restore parity.
Moments later, Hwang turned provider. The midfielder delivered a low cross into the six-yard box, allowing substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu to sweep home what proved to be the winning goal.
Czech Republic thought they had levelled again when Thomas Soucek scored from a set-piece, but the effort was ruled out for offside.
South Korea captain Son Heung-min endured a frustrating night, missing several chances in the first half and remaining two goals short of his national scoring record.
The result sees South Korea join co-hosts Mexico at the top of Group A on three points after Mexico’s earlier win over South Africa.
South Korea next face Mexico on June 18, while Czech Republic meet South Africa in their next group fixture.
The match also featured reports of noticeable empty seats in the stadium, despite an official attendance of 44,985, raising questions about ticket uptake.
