Oh Hyeon-gyu celebrates with teammates after scoring against the Czech Republic in their opening group stage match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Guadalajara Stadium in Jalisco, Mexico, on June 11, 2026. (Kim Young-won/Hankyoreh)
South Korea’s national men's soccer team rallied to beat the Czech Republic in impressive fashion in their opening game of the FIFA World Cup in North America on Friday (Korea time).At Guadalajara Stadium in Zapopan, Mexico, the Taegeuk Warriors, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, posted a victory needed not just to advance to the knockout stage or round of 32 of the competition, but also to secure at least second place in Group A.Ladislav Krejčí gave the Czechs the lead in the 59th minute with a header off a throw-in. But striker Hwang In-beom tied the score in the 67th minute and set up the winning goal for Oh Hyeon-gyu in the 80th. Hwang was named “man of the match.”
Oh Hyeon-gyu scores the winning goal in Korea’s faceoff against the Czech Republic at the World Cup at Guadalajara Stadium in Jalisco, Mexico, on June 11, 2026. (Kim Young-won/Hankyoreh)
Korea thus won its opening game of the World Cup for the first time since the 2010 edition in South Africa, dominating the game throughout. The team's possession in both halves was 62%, far more than Czechia's (38%), and Korea led in shots on goal with 15 (six on target), way ahead of the Czechs' seven (four on target).Czechia's opening goal showed the team's height advantage that Korea feared as Krejčí finished off a long throw-in by Vladimír Coufal with a header after making a run into the box. But Hwang leveled the score in the 67th minute with a crucial equalizer.
