Second-half objectives by Oh Hyeon-gyu and Hwang In-beom steered South Korea to a come-from-behind win over Czechia in a Group A encounter.
Printed On 12 Jun 2026
Hwang In-beom scored a objective and arrange one other as South Korea rallied to defeat Czechia 2-1 within the second match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 on Thursday evening in Zapopan, Mexico.
After a lacklustre first half during which each groups have been jeered as they left the sphere, Czechia took the lead within the 59th minute on a header by captain Ladislav Krejci after an extended throw-in into the penalty space.
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South Korea equalised within the 67th minute, when Hwang scored after faking a shot with a nifty transfer to clear two Czech gamers. He then made the cross from the correct flank for Oh Hyeon-gyu’s decisive strike within the eightieth minute in a match performed in entrance of a whole bunch of empty seats at Guadalajara Stadium.
Led by star ahead Son Heung-min, South Korea managed possession and outshot the Czechs, who have been making their first World Cup look since 2006.
The South Koreans, ranked twenty fifth by FIFA, had a lot of the vital scoring possibilities in opposition to the Thirty eighth-ranked Czechs however did not capitalise early.
The introduced attendance was 44,985 on the 45,664-capacity Guadalajara Stadium. Sections in the course of the stands had many unoccupied seats, and different empty seats have been scattered throughout the stadium.
Earlier on Thursday, Mexico ignited their World Cup occasion with a dominant 2-0 victory over nine-man South Africa, as the largest version of the worldwide footballing showpiece kicked off on the iconic Estadio Azteca.
With three factors every, Mexico sit on prime of Group A, with South Korea second on objective distinction. Czechia are third, and South Africa sit on the backside. Within the next round of Group A matches on June 18, Mexico face South Korea in Zapopan, whereas Czechia play South Africa in Atlanta.
The highest two groups from every of the 12 teams, together with the eight greatest third-placed groups, proceed to the knockouts, which start with the spherical of 32.
You’ll be able to comply with the motion on Al Jazeera’s devoted FIFA World Cup 2026 web page, with all the most recent information, match build-up and stay textual content commentary, and preserve updated with group standings, real-time match outcomes and schedules.
