South Korea showed character in its debut in the 2026 World Cup. The Asian team came from behind to defeat the Czech Republic 2-1 in Guadalajara and add its first three points in Group A, where it now shares the top with the Mexican team.

With goals from Hwang Inbeom and Oh Hyeong Gyu, the South Koreans managed to reverse a deficit on the scoreboard and took an important step in their aspirations to advance to the next round of the World Cup.

A first half with few emotions and a lot of dispute

During the first 45 minutes, both teams played a balanced duel, marked by intense fighting in the midfield and few clear scoring opportunities.

The Asian team was the closest to opening the scoring thanks to the interventions of Kang In Lee and Son Heung-min, who generated the most dangerous actions of the match.

On the part of the Europeans, the defensive order and the interventions of goalkeeper Matej Kovar allowed them to maintain a goalless tie before the break.

South Korea dominated, but Czech Republic struck first

The start of the second half showed a much more aggressive Korean team in attack.

Those led by South Korea began to generate constant danger through Kang In Lee, Jae Sung Lee and Son Heung-min, who forced several interventions from the Czech goalkeeper.

However, when the Asians were playing best, the Czech Republic's goal came.

In a set piece action, Ladislav Krejci took advantage of a defensive inattention to connect with a header and make the score 0-1.

Hwang Inbeom led the Korean comeback

Far from resenting the blow, South Korea maintained the initiative and found the tie thanks to a brilliant individual action by Hwang Inbeom.

The midfielder took the ball outside the area, created the necessary space and took a powerful right-footed shot that ended up hitting near the corner to make it 1-1 in the 67th minute.

The goal revitalized the Asians, who continued to search for the rival goal insistently during the final stretch of the match.

Oh Hyeong Gyu sentenced the victory in Guadalajara

Korean insistence was rewarded ten minutes from the end.

In a collective play, Hwang Inbeom once again appeared as the protagonist by assisting Oh Hyeong Gyu, who scored inside the area to make it 2-1.

The goal confirmed the superiority shown by the Asians during much of the second half and allowed them to win a valuable victory in their World Cup presentation.

This is how Group A of the 2026 World Cup looks like

After completing the first day, South Korea and the Mexican team lead Group A with three points each, after their respective victories over the Czech Republic and South Africa.

For their part, the Czechs and South Africans started the tournament without units and will be forced to add points on the next date to maintain their qualification options.

Mexico and South Korea will star in one of the most attractive matches of the second day

The next date will offer a key duel to define the top of the group.

On Thursday, June 18, South Korea will face the Mexican team in Guadalajara in a match that could bring either team closer to the round of 16.

That same day, the Czech Republic will seek to recover against South Africa in Atlanta, in a match that could be decisive for its aspirations in the 2026 World Cup.

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