By Stephen Simon
South Korea kicked off their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign on a winning note, coming from behind to defeat Czech Republic 2-1 in their opening Group A match on Friday in Guadalajara, Mexico.
The Asian side displayed resilience and determination, overturning a second-half deficit to secure all three points in a closely contested encounter.
Both teams struggled to create meaningful scoring opportunities in the first half, which ended goalless despite several attempts to break the deadlock.
The breakthrough eventually came in the 59th minute when Czech Republic captain, Ladislav Krejci, rose above the South Korean defence to head home and give his side the lead.
However, South Korea responded positively to the setback and began to dominate possession as they searched for an equaliser.
Their persistence paid off eight minutes later when midfielder Hwang In-beom produced a fine individual effort, dribbling past defenders before firing the ball into the net to level the score at 1-1.
Buoyed by the equaliser, South Korea continued to press forward and were rewarded in the 80th minute when substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu connected with a cross from Hwang In-beom to score the winning goal.
The late strike completed a remarkable comeback and ensured a perfect start to the tournament for the South Koreans.
The victory places South Korea in a strong position in Group A as they look ahead to their next fixture with renewed confidence, while Czech Republic will seek to recover quickly and revive their campaign in subsequent matches.
