'Hwang In-beom's equalizer + Oh Hyeon-gyu's go-ahead winner' South Korea 0:1→2:1 dramatic comeback! Defeat Czech Republic in World Cup opener... 32-round qualification 'within reach' [Guadalajara live review]

*This content was translated by AI.

A thrilling comeback victory. The South Korean national football team secured a thrilling win, taking a favorable position for qualification to the Round of 32.

South Korea (ranked 25th) defeated Czech Republic (ranked 41st) 2-1 in a thrilling comeback victory in the Group A first match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North, Central America and Caribbean, held on the morning of the 12th (Korea time) at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, Mexico.

With this, South Korea secured a valuable three points in its first match of the tournament, starting the competition on a high note. On the same day, host nation Mexico defeated South Africa 2-0.

South Korea deployed a 3-4-2-1 formation with Son Heung-min (LAFC) as the lone striker, supported by Lee Kang-in (Mainz) and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) behind him. The midfield was guarded by Lee Tae-seok (Austria Vienna), Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord), Baek Seung-ho (Birmingham City), and Seol Young-woo (Crvena Zvezda). The back three consisted of Lee Ki-hyuk (Gangwon FC), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), and Lee Han-beom (Midtjylland). Kim Seung-gyu (FC Tokyo) was in goal.

Czech Republic also employed a 3-4-2-1 formation. Patrick Schick (Bayer Leverkusen) led the front line, supported by Pavel Šulc (Lyon) and Lukáš Procházka (Slavia Prague) in the second line. The midfield featured Vladimír Coufal (Hoffenheim), Aleksandar Savić (Viktoria Plzeň), Tomáš Souček (West Ham United), and David Jurásek (Slavia Prague). The back three consisted of Štěpán Halovský (Slavia Prague), Robin Hranáč (Hoffenheim), and Ladislav Krejčí (Wolverhampton Wanderers), with Matěj Kovář (PSV Eindhoven) in goal.

The first half unfolded somewhat frustratingly. Early in the match, Czech Republic dominated possession, persisting with a monotonous attack focused on long balls near the halfway line. Even on free-kicks, they consistently aimed high balls into South Korea's penalty area, but these posed no real threat.

South Korea struggled to build smooth play, as Baek Seung-ho and Hwang In-beom found it difficult to receive the ball deep in their own half due to Czech Republic's intense midfield pressure and numerical disadvantage. Both teams, extremely wary of conceding, avoided overlapping runs during attacks and focused on maintaining defensive numbers, leading to a prolonged battle dominated by low-probability long passes. Amid this somewhat sluggish flow, Lee Kang-in's sharp left-footed shot in the 14th minute of the first half was saved by the goalkeeper.

South Korea seized decisive chances late in the first half, led by Son Heung-min, to test the Czech goal. In the 39th minute, Son Heung-min executed his signature solo dribble and unleashed a curling left-footed shot from the center of the penalty area, but the ball failed to curl and went wide to the left of the goal. Even Son Heung-min's shot following a sharp left-footed cross from Lee Tae-seok in stoppage time missed the target, and the first half ended 0-0.

South Korea started the second half with the same lineup and immediately pressed aggressively. In the 4th minute of the second half, Hwang In-beom's powerful right-footed shot and Lee Kang-in's follow-up shot were blocked by the goalkeeper's body. In the 11th minute, Son Heung-min received a precise pass from Lee Kang-in, broke through the defensive line, and found himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but his left-footed chip shot went straight to Kovář's chest, squandering the opportunity.

Czech Republic, having weathered the crisis, launched a counterattack. In the 13th minute of the second half, they threatened South Korea's goal with a sharp cross from the flank, and just one minute later, in the 14th minute, captain Krejčí headed in a ball that had drifted out during a long ball situation, conceding a painful opening goal.

After conceding, coach Hong Myung-bo substituted Lee Kang-in for Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton Wanderers) in the 15th minute of the second half, placing him on the left midfield. Czech Republic also made a triple substitution, bringing on Sadílek, Horák, and Hložek for Šulc, Schick, and Procházka, completely changing their front three and thickening their defensive wall.

Hwang In-beom emerged as the savior. In the 22nd minute of the second half, Hwang In-beom suddenly collapsed the space behind, deceived the rushing goalkeeper Kovář with a feint, and then scored the equalizer with a exquisite right-footed chip shot into the far corner of the goal. It was a fantastic goal that completely outmaneuvered Czech Republic's solid defense. Immediately after the equalizer, Coach Hong brought on Eom Ji-sung (Swansea City) and Oh Hyeon-gyu (Beşiktaş) for Son Heung-min and Lee Tae-seok to tighten the reins.

In the 32nd minute of the second half, Czech Republic's Souček scored with a header from a free-kick situation, but the goal was disallowed due to an offside call.

South Korea, having survived the crisis, immediately turned the match around. In the 35th minute of the second half, Oh Hyeon-gyu, rushing into the box, precisely pushed in a sharp right-footed cross from Hwang In-beom on the right flank, completing the dramatic comeback. Although the ball touched goalkeeper Kovář, it was too strong and fast for him to stop.

Kim Seung-gyu completed Hong Myung-bo's victory. In the 37th minute of the second half, Kim Seung-gyu saved Horák's decisive shot in front of the goal with instinctive reflexes, rescuing the team from an equalization crisis. With the momentum secured, Coach Hong Myung-bo substituted Hwang In-beom and Baek Seung-ho for Kim Jin-gyu (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors) and Park Jin-seop (Zhejiang FC) in the final moments of the second half to solidify the defense, ultimately closing out the match with a 2-1 victory.

In another Group A match held on the same day, host nation Mexico defeated South Africa 2-0. As a result, South Korea and Mexico, both winners in their opening matches, each secured three points and currently sit at the top of Group A.

Considering South Africa is widely regarded as the weakest team in the group, Hong Myung-bo's team, which secured a thrilling comeback victory against Czech Republic—the most critical match for tournament qualification—has now taken a highly favorable position for qualification to the Round of 32, with a chance to finish as high as third in the group.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.