Substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu struck an 11th-minute winner from time as South Korea mounted a thrilling second-half comeback to defeat the Czech Republic 2-1 in their World Cup Group A opener on Thursday.
Midfielder Hwang In-beom played the hero for the Taeguk Warriors, scoring a sublime equalizer before turning provider for Oh's late match-winner. The victory places South Korea level with co-hosts Mexico at the top of Group A on three points, following Mexico's 2-0 win over South Africa earlier in the day.
Played in front of a festive crowd of 44,985 at Guadalajara where the locals firmly threw their support behind the Asian powerhouse the match presented a stark contrast of styles. South Korea relied on fluid, technical passing, while the Czech Republic, making their first World Cup appearance in 20 years, utilized direct long balls and physical aerial strength.
The first half was a story of Korean dominance met by regular frustration. Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in tested Czech goalkeeper Matej Kovar early, while veteran forward Son Heung-min endured an uncharacteristic off-day. Son missed five clear chances in the opening 45 minutes alone, firing over the bar and curling multiple efforts wide, leaving him still two goals shy of his country's all-time scoring record of 58 goals.
Despite South Korea's heavy pressure, it was the Czech Republic that broke the deadlock against the run of play in the 59th minute. Capitalizing on their aerial advantage, Czech captain Ladislav Krejci rose unmarked to powerfully head home a long throw-in from West Ham defender Vladimir Coufal.
The Czech lead lasted just eight minutes. In the 67th minute, Lee Kang-in threaded an exceptional through-ball to Hwang In-beom. Hwang brilliantly cut inside the box, turning defender Robin Hranac and keeper Kovar completely around before calmly slipping a low, right-footed shot into the net.
The Europeans thought they had restored their lead shortly after when Tomas Soucek headed in a free-kick, but the goal was quickly ruled out for a clear offside.
Smelling blood, South Korea struck the decisive blow in the 79th minute. Hwang turned provider, sending a sharp, low cross into the box for substitute Oh, whose first-time effort squeezed past Kovar’s hand into the net.
The Czechs launched a furious late assault in search of an equalizer, but Korean goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu produced a pair of stellar world-class saves in stoppage time to secure all three points for his side.
South Korea will now prepare for a high-stakes clash against co-hosts Mexico in Guadalajara on June 18, while the Czech Republic travels to Atlanta to face South Africa on the same day.
