Even Son Heung-min could not break through the Czech defense, but Hwang In-beom did... A fantastic chip shot that fooled three defenders and the goalkeeper.

*This content was translated by AI.

The "Captain" Son Heung-min (LAFC) could not easily open the Czech goal, but "midfield commander" Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord) did. South Korea, which turned the tide, escaped the brink of defeat and secured a comeback victory.

The South Korean national team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, achieved a 2-1 comeback victory against Czech Republic in the first match of Group A of the 2026 FIFA North, Central America and Caribbean World Cup qualifiers, held on the 12th at 11 a.m. (Korea time) at Estadio Akron in Zapopan, Guadalajara, Mexico.

South Korea was drawn into Group A along with host nation Mexico, Czech Republic, and South Africa. The first opponent was Czech Republic, led by coach Miroslav Koubek. With all four teams in Group A considered to have similar strength, the result of the first match could significantly influence the group stage dynamics. For South Korea, this was a match where points were essential.

However, Czech Republic was no pushover. From the first half, South Korea deployed fast and technically skilled players such as Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) to attack the Czech defense. In contrast, the Czech defensive line sat deep to block South Korea's attacks. On top of that, they were not lucky with their goal-scoring chances. Although South Korea led in shots with 8-2 in the first half, they failed to score and entered the second half at 0-0.

The flow remained with South Korea in the second half. However, the problem was finishing. Decisive shots were either blocked by the Czech defense or saved by Czech goalkeeper Matej Kovar (PSV Eindhoven) with a super save. In particular, Son Heung-min attempted six shots but failed to open the Czech goal.

South Korea, which failed to capitalize on numerous attacking opportunities, faced an even bigger crisis. In the 14th minute of the second half, they conceded the opening goal to Czech defender Ladislav Krejci (Wolverhampton).

On this day, despite having few attacking opportunities, Czech Republic created threatening scenes by leveraging their height advantage. This strategy worked perfectly. From the right flank, Vladimir Coufal (Hoffenheim) threw a long throw-in, which Krejci ran towards the goal and connected with a header, sending the ball directly into the net. South Korea, which had controlled the flow of the match but failed to score, was suddenly plunged into a crisis of defeat.

But Hwang In-beom stepped in as a savior. In the 22nd minute of the second half, he immediately scored an equalizing goal. It was a scene that highlighted Hwang In-beom's decisiveness and composure.

A single fantastic pass from Lee Kang-in collapsed the Czech defensive line, and Hwang In-beom received the ball inside the penalty box. At that moment, goalkeeper Kovar rushed forward to narrow the shooting angle, and Czech defenders quickly swarmed to block Hwang In-beom.

Even in a difficult situation, Hwang In-beom did not waver. He lightly controlled the ball, completely stealing the timing of the opposing defense. Goalkeeper Kovar was already airborne, and Czech defenders were attempting sliding tackles. Hwang In-beom's momentary individual skill completely deceived three Czech players, including the goalkeeper.

The finish was also fantastic. After evading both the defenders and the goalkeeper, Hwang In-beom shook the net with a delicate chip shot. Hwang In-beom opened the Czech goal, which Son Heung-min could not easily open, with calm individual skills and a sensory finish.

After the equalizing goal, South Korea found its rhythm. Head coach Hong Myung-bo immediately made a decisive move. He substituted out Son Heung-min and Lee Tae-seok (Austria Vienna) and brought on Oh Hyeon-gyu (Besiktas) and Eom Ji-sung (Swansea City), making changes to the attacking lineup.

This choice also hit the mark. In the 35th minute of the second half, Oh Hyeon-gyu scored the go-ahead goal and roared. Once again, Hwang In-beom's role was decisive. He provided an accurate pass from the right flank, assisting Oh Hyeon-gyu's goal and recording an assist.

Hwang In-beom was substituted in the 39th minute of the second half and finished the match. His statistics were overwhelming. He recorded one goal and one assist, with two shots on target and a 90% pass success rate, delivering the best performance. Football statistics media FootMob also awarded Hwang In-beom the highest rating of 8.9 among all players on both teams, recognizing his performance.

In the end, the protagonist who changed the flow of the match against Czech Republic was Hwang In-beom. He broke through the Czech goal, which Son Heung-min could not easily open, with a calm chip shot and also assisted the go-ahead goal. In a match where the attacking line was struggling, midfielder Hwang In-beom played the role of a problem solver.

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*This content was translated by AI.