South Korea rally to beat Czechia 2-1 on World Cup opening day

Second-half goals by Oh Hyeon-gyu and Hwang In-beom steered South Korea to a come-from-behind triumph implicit Czechia successful a Group A encounter.

Hwang In-beom scored a extremity and acceptable up different arsenic South Korea rallied to decision Czechia 2-1 successful the 2nd lucifer of the FIFA World Cup 2026 connected Thursday nighttime successful Zapopan, Mexico.

After a lacklustre archetypal fractional successful which some teams were jeered arsenic they near the field, Czechia took the pb successful the 59th infinitesimal connected a header by skipper Ladislav Krejci aft a agelong throw-in into the punishment area.

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South Korea equalised successful the 67th minute, erstwhile Hwang scored aft faking a changeable with a nifty determination to wide 2 Czech players. He past made the transverse from the close flank for Oh Hyeon-gyu’s decisive onslaught successful the 80th infinitesimal successful a lucifer played successful beforehand of hundreds of bare seats astatine Guadalajara Stadium.

Led by prima guardant Son Heung-min, South Korea controlled possession and outshot the Czechs, who were making their archetypal World Cup quality since 2006.

Oh Hyeon-gyu scored a extremity successful the 80th infinitesimal to seal a precocious comeback triumph for South Korea [Daniel Becerril/Reuters]

The South Koreans, ranked 25th by FIFA, had astir of the important scoring chances against the 38th-ranked Czechs but failed to capitalise early.

The announced attendance was 44,985 astatine the 45,664-capacity Guadalajara Stadium. Sections successful the mediate of the stands had galore unoccupied seats, and different bare seats were scattered crossed the stadium.

Earlier connected Thursday, Mexico ignited their World Cup enactment with a dominant 2-0 victory implicit nine-man South Africa, arsenic the biggest variation of the planetary footballing showpiece kicked disconnected astatine the iconic Estadio Azteca.

With 3 points each, Mexico beryllium connected apical of Group A, with South Korea 2nd connected extremity difference. Czechia are third, and South Africa beryllium astatine the bottom. In the next circular of Group A matches connected June 18, Mexico look South Korea successful Zapopan, portion Czechia play South Africa successful Atlanta.

The apical 2 teams from each of the 12 groups, on with the 8 champion third-placed teams, proceed to the knockouts, which statesman with the circular of 32.

You tin travel the enactment connected Al Jazeera’s dedicated FIFA World Cup 2026 page, with each the latest news, lucifer build-up and unrecorded substance commentary, and support up to day with radical standings, real-time lucifer results and schedules.