South Korea got off to a good start in their 2026 World Cup campaign, beating the Czech Republic 2-1 in Group 1. The match was held at the Akron Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico, in front of 44,985 spectators, and after a “barren” first 45 minutes, the two teams “searched” for victory, with the Asians taking all three points and with a twist.
The Czechs took the lead through Krejci in the 59th minute, but with a sustained counterattack, the South Koreans achieved victory, thanks to goals from former Olympiacos ace In Beom Hwang (67`) and Hyeon Gyu Oh (80`).
South Korea captain Son Heung-min missed several good chances in a goalless first 45 minutes. The score opened in the 59th minute when Czech Republic captain Ladislav Krejci scored the Europeans’ first goal of the World Cup with a header from long range.
Known for their fighting spirit, the South Koreans did not give up and equalized eight minutes later, with a magnificent goal from former Olympiacos ace Hwang In-beom. In the 77th minute, Tomas Soucek scored with a header, but his goal was disallowed for offside and three minutes later, Hwang provided an assist to Oh, who scored the final goal.
After this result, South Korea and Mexico, who defeated South Africa 2-0 yesterday (11/6), are the favorites to qualify for the next phase of the competition. For the second matchday of the group, the “hosts” will host South Korea and the Czechs will face South Africa.
Referee: A. Omar (Egypt)
Yellows: Lee Ki-hyuk
Reds:
Line ups:
SOUTH KOREA (Hong Myung-Bo): Kim Seung-Gu, Lee Han-Byeon, Kim Min-Jae, Lee Gi-Hyuk, Seol Jung-Woo, Hwang In-Beom (84′ Jin-Gyu), Paek Seung-Ho (84′ Jin-Seop Park), Lee Tae-Seok (69′ Ji-Jung), Lee Kang-In, Lee Jae-Sung (63′ Hye-Chan Hwang), Son Heung-Min (69′ Hyeon Oh).
CZECH REPUBLIC (Miroslav Kubek): Matej Kovar, Stepan Halupek, Robin Hranac, Ladislav Krejci, Vladimir Chufal, Tomas Sucek, Aleksandr Sojka (85′ Hitil), Jaroslav Zeleny, Pavel Schulz (64′ Adam Chlozek), Lukas Provod (64′ Michal Sandilek), Patrick Szyk (64′ Tomas Hori).