South Korea trailed for the better part of an hour at Estadio Akron in Zapopan before Hwang In-beom decided he’d had enough, dragging his team from behind to a 2-1 win over Czechia that opened Group A with a statement few outside Seoul saw coming.
Hwang In-beom’s Statement Hour
Ladislav Krejčí had given Czechia the lead in the 59th minute, rising above a static Korean back line to head home a long throw-in, the kind of unglamorous set-piece goal that has decided countless World Cup openers. For nearly twenty minutes it looked like it might decide this one too. Then Hwang In-beom took over. In the 67th minute he shifted the ball one way, faked a shot, and ghosted past two Czech defenders before finishing from close range to level the score. Thirteen minutes later he turned provider, running at the right flank and delivering a cross that substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu — on for Son Heung-min — steered home after a clever through ball from Paik Seung-ho had set up the move. Hwang finished the night with a goal and an assist, joining Choi Soon-ho (against Italy in 1986) and current head coach Hong Myung-bo (against Spain in 1994) as the only South Korean players to manage that feat in a single World Cup match.
A Lead Czechia Couldn’t Protect
For long stretches, Czechia looked the more organized side, content to sit in behind the ball and let Korea probe without real penetration. Krejčí’s header rewarded that patience, and for a team with modest World Cup pedigree, an early goal against a side many expected to push for the knockout rounds looked like the platform for a famous result. Instead, Korea’s substitutions changed the math. Oh Hyeon-gyu’s introduction gave the attack a different kind of threat in the box, and once Hwang began carrying the ball into space the Czech back line had no answer. The final twenty minutes belonged almost entirely to South Korea, who out-worked a tiring opponent to snatch a result that, on the balance of the first hour, Czechia had earned.
What This Means for Group A
The result handed South Korea three points to open Group A alongside co-host Mexico, who beat South Africa on the same day. It also set up a tense back half of the group: Czechia would go on to draw South Africa 1-1, while Mexico eventually beat South Korea to claim top spot with a match in hand. For Czechia, this loss — despite a spirited first hour — left them needing results elsewhere to chase one of the group’s two automatic spots or a place among the eight best third-place finishers.
FAQ
What was the final score of South Korea vs Czechia at the 2026 World Cup?
South Korea won 2-1, coming back from a 59th-minute Ladislav Krejčí goal through Hwang In-beom (67′) and substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu (80′).
Who scored the winning goal for South Korea against Czechia?
Substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu scored the winner in the 80th minute, finishing off a cross from Hwang In-beom after a Paik Seung-ho through ball.
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