South Korea staged a comeback from a goal down to secure a thrilling 2-1 victory over Czechia in their opening match of the World Cup Group A. Substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu netted the decisive goal in the 80th minute, sealing the win for the Koreans.
Captain Son Heung-min had missed several clear opportunities before Czech player Ladislav Krejci scored against the run of play in the 59th minute, heading in from a long throw-in. However, Korea quickly responded, with Hwang In-beom maintaining his composure to chip the equalizer over the goalkeeper just eight minutes later.
Tomas Soucek appeared to have restored the Czech’s advantage with a header from a free kick in the 77th minute, but the goal was disallowed due to offside. Just two minutes later, the tide turned as Hwang turned from scorer to provider, setting up Oh for a close-range shot that found the back of the net.
Upcoming Matches
Co-hosts Mexico currently lead the group following their 2-0 victory over South Africa, and they are set to face South Korea next Thursday in Guadalajara. Meanwhile, the Czech team will take on South Africa in Atlanta.
