South Korea came back from an early goal to defeat the Czech Republic 2-1 yesterday and earn its first three points in Group A of the World Cup.
In Guadalajara, in western Mexico, the Koreans won thanks to goals by Hwang Inbeom and Oh Hyeong Gyu, after the Czechs had taken the lead with a goal by Ladislav Krejci.
South Korea dominated, but the Czech Republic pulled off a surprise
Goal for South Korea! 80’ | South Korea 2–1 Czech Republic 🇨🇿
Hyeon-gyu Oh scores the goal that gives South Korea the lead. pic.twitter.com/5NUmT7R0hl
— Rafael Alejandro Escalona (@rafaescalonaf) June 12, 2026
In the first half, the two teams canceled each other out, with a battle in midfield and few chances in the box.
South Korea came closest to scoring with a good shot by Kang In Lee, which was saved by goalkeeper Matej Kovar.
And a dangerous play by Heung-min Son, who, off balance, reached for the ball in front of the goal and sent it wide.
In the second half, South Korea came close to opening the scoring with chances from Kang In Lee and Jae Sung Lee.
Held in check by a couple of strong saves by Kovar.
South Korea gained a foothold and took the lead.
In the 55th minute, they came close to scoring again with a shot by Min Son, following a pass from Jae Sung.
Just as the Koreans were playing their best, the Czechs took the lead.
On a corner kick, Krejci took advantage of poor marking and headed the ball in to make it 0-1 (Filed under: South Korea beats the Czech Republic).
Inbeom led the comeback, and Korea secured the victory
🇰🇷 In South Korea, they’ve set up giant screens on buildings so people can watch the World Cup matches—especially those featuring the South Korean national team.
Here’s how the Korean victory was experienced yesterday:pic.twitter.com/lOjEk8vJoX
— 🥊𝕳 BARRAS DEL MUNDO ⚽🍺 (@Barras_LATAM) June 13, 2026
The Czechs fell back and were punished with a beautiful goal by Inbeom in the 67th minute.
He dribbled past a defender outside the box and curled the ball into the far corner with his right foot, tying the score at 1-1.
Both teams threw everything they had into scoring the winning goal.
The Koreans were dominant once again and sealed the deal in the 80th minute when Inbeom passed to Hyeong Gyu, who put the ball in the net to secure the victory.
Following yesterday’s matches, Mexico and South Korea lead Group A with one win each, while the Czech Republic and South Africa have each suffered a loss.
On the second day of competition, next Thursday the 18th, South Korea will face Mexico in Guadalajara, and the Czech Republic will take on South Africa in Atlanta (Filed under: South Korea defeats the Czech Republic).
Technical data
Check out South Korea’s excitement after winning their first match. Incredible
They totally deserved it, man. Big things are coming 🇰🇷!! https://t.co/Uob2C6CGtR— Cuti⚽️Son (@cutieson717) June 12, 2026
2. South Korea: Kim Seung-gyu; Lee Han-beon, Kim Min-jae, Lee Tae-seok (Eom Ji-sung, 69′), Seol Young-woo; Lee Gi-hyuk, Hwang In-beom (Kim Jing-yu, 84′), Paik Seung-ho (Park Jin-seob 84′), Lee Jae-sung (Hwang Hee-chan 62′), Kang-in Lee, Heung-min Son (Oh Hyeong-yu 69′).
Head Coach: Myung Bo Hong.
1. Czech Republic: Matej Kovar; Robin Hranac, Vladimir Coufal, Stepan Chaloupek, Ladislav Krejci, Jaroslav Zeleny; Lukas Provod (Michal Sadilek 63′), Tomas Soucek, Alexandr Sojka (Mojmir Chytil 84′); Patrik Schick (Adam Hlozek 63′), Pavel Sulc (Tomas Chory 63′).
Coach: Miroslav Koubek.
Goals: 0-1, 59th min: Ladislav Krejci; 1-1, 67th min: Hwang In-beom; 2-1, 80th min: Oh Hyeong-yu.
Referee: Amin Mohamed Omar of Egypt. He issued a yellow card to Lee Gih Yuk.
Match details: The match between South Korea and the Czech Republic, marking both teams’ debut in Group A of the World Cup, was held at the Guadalajara Stadium.
With information from EFE
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