In a thrilling encounter at the 2026 World Cup, South Korea staged a comeback to defeat the Czech Republic 2-1, with Hwang In-beom playing a pivotal role in the victory. The match took place on Thursday night in Guadalajara, Mexico, marking South Korea's first opening win in the World Cup since 2010.

Match Overview

The first half of the match was largely uneventful, leading to jeers from the crowd as both teams left the field. However, the Czech Republic broke the deadlock in the 59th minute when captain Ladislav Krejci scored with a header following a long throw-in into the penalty area. South Korea responded in the 67th minute, with Hwang In-beom equalizing after skillfully faking a shot to evade two defenders. Hwang then assisted Oh Hyeon-gyu for the winning goal in the 80th minute, sealing the comeback.

Coach's Reaction

South Korea's coach, Hong Myung-bo, expressed his satisfaction with the team's resilience, stating, “The win itself makes me happy, but what’s even more positive is that our boys won by not giving up.” He emphasized his belief in the team's potential to secure a win and encouraged them to maintain their performance level after equalizing.

The match was played in front of an announced attendance of 44,985 at the Guadalajara Stadium, which has a capacity of 45,664. South Korea's victory continues a trend of success against European teams in recent World Cups, following previous wins over Portugal and Germany.

Despite the loss, Czech Republic coach Miroslav Koubek acknowledged the quality of South Korea's performance, remarking that “probably the better team won,” while also noting that his side could have achieved a different result if not for “some mistakes.”