GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Hwang In-Beom netted a goal and provided an assist as South Korea staged a comeback to triumph over Czechia with a score of 2-1 during their second match of the 2026 World Cup on Thursday night.
After a dismal first half that drew boos from the crowd, Czechia took the lead in the 59th minute when captain Ladislav Krejcí scored with a header following a long throw-in into the penalty area.
South Korea equalized in the 67th minute as Hwang cleverly evaded two Czech defenders to score. He then delivered a crucial cross from the right flank, setting up Oh Hyeon-Gyu for the decisive goal in the 80th minute in a match that saw numerous empty seats at Guadalajara Stadium.
“It was a tough first match,” commented South Korea’s coach Hong Myung-bo. “While I am pleased with the win, what stands out even more is the spirit the team showed by not giving up. When we reached 1-1, I encouraged them to continue their strong play.”
This victory marked South Korea’s first win in the opening round of the World Cup since they defeated Greece in 2010 in South Africa. The team has now triumphed over European opponents in three consecutive World Cups, following victories against Portugal in 2022 and Germany in 2018.
After the final whistle, the South Korean players celebrated with their supporters behind one of the goals and later took a group photo with them.
With star forward Son Heung-Min leading the charge, South Korea dominated possession and outshot the Czechs, who were participating in their first World Cup since 2006. Ranked 25th by FIFA, the South Koreans had most of the significant scoring opportunities against the 38th-ranked Czechs, but struggled to convert early on.
Son aimed to become South Korea’s all-time leading scorer in World Cups and the highest-scoring Asian player in tournament history. The 33-year-old, previously with Tottenham and now playing for LAFC, entered Thursday with three goals across his previous three World Cups.
In his fourth World Cup appearance, Son had a few chances to increase his tally, including a shot wide in the first half and a close-range effort saved in the second half.
The Czechs believed they had regained the lead in the 77th minute with another set piece, but Tomás Soucek was flagged offside on his header.
Czechia’s coach Miroslav Koubek acknowledged, “The better team probably won,” but felt his squad could have achieved a different result had they avoided “some mistakes.” He added, “We played quite well and it could have gone either way; we might have drawn or even won.”
The announced attendance at the 45,664-capacity Guadalajara Stadium was 44,985, which included FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Several sections in the middle of the stands were noticeably empty, with additional vacant seats scattered throughout the stadium.
South Korea’s appearance marks their 11th consecutive World Cup and 12th overall, the most by any Asian nation. Their best performance came in 2002 when they co-hosted the tournament with Japan and finished fourth. Since then, they have not progressed past the round of 16.
In Thursday’s other Group A match, co-host Mexico won against South Africa with a score of 2-0 in the tournament opener in Mexico City.