Korea Republic rally to beat Czechia in World Cup opener

Korea Republic came from a goal down to defeat Czechia 2-1 in their FIFA World Cup 2026 Group A opener at Guadalajara Stadium, with Hwang Inbeom scoring one and creating another to seal a comeback victory.

First-half dominance without reward

Korea Republic dominated the first half and created several chances but were unable to beat Czechia goalkeeper Matej Kovar. Lee Kangin forced a save from Kovar in the 14th minute with a fierce left-footed strike, while Son Heungmin sent a couple of decent opportunities off target and failed to connect with another chance in first-half stoppage time. Son was denied again 11 minutes into the second half, once more finding Kovar in his way.

Czechia take the lead against the run of play

Czechia opened the scoring in the 59th minute against the run of play. Captain Ladislav Krejci soared through the air to meet a long throw from the right by Vladimir Coufal and thundered a header past a helpless Kim Seunggyu in the Korean goal. It was Czechia's first World Cup goal in almost 20 years to the day; their previous effort came when Tomas Rosicky scored the third in a 3-0 group stage win against USA on 12 June 2006.

Hwang inspires the turnaround

Korea Republic equalised eight minutes later through Hwang Inbeom, who produced a delicious effort after cutting inside and dinking home following a sublime ball into his path from Lee Kangin. Oh Hyeongyu then completed the turnaround in the 80th minute, tucking in Hwang's low ball from the right. Czechia pushed for an equaliser, with Adam Hlozek forcing Kim into a phenomenal stop in the 82nd minute, but Korea held on to secure the win.

Historic win for Korea

The victory marked Korea Republic's third consecutive World Cup win over European opposition, following victories over Portugal in 2022 (2-1) and Germany in 2018 (2-0). Hwang Inbeom was named man of the match for his goal and assist.