South Korea began their World Cup campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic, overturning a second-half deficit thanks to a late strike from substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu in the 80th minute.
Despite dominating possession and creating the better chances early on, South Korea were stunned when Czech captain Ladislav Krejci broke the deadlock in the 59th minute, heading home from a long throw-in by Vladimir Coufal. It was the Czech Republic’s first shot on target in the match.
South Korea responded quickly through Hwang In-beom, who restored parity eight minutes later with a composed finish after being played in by Lee Kang-in. The midfielder cleverly lifted the ball over the advancing goalkeeper to bring his side level at 1-1.
The Czechs briefly thought they had regained the lead in the 78th minute when Tomas Soucek scored from a free-kick, but the goal was ruled out for offside, handing South Korea a crucial reprieve.
Moments later, South Korea completed the turnaround when Oh Hyeon-gyu converted a cross from Hwang to give his side the lead. The substitute’s finish proved decisive in a tense closing stage of the match.
Goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu then ensured the victory with key late saves, including a sharp stop to deny Adam Hlozek and another intervention in stoppage time to frustrate the Czech attack.
The result marks South Korea’s first winning start at a World Cup in four editions, providing an encouraging beginning to their tournament campaign.
Son Heung-min, captaining his country, was heavily involved in the first half and created several chances but was unable to find the net before being substituted shortly after the equaliser. His replacement, Oh Hyeon-gyu, ultimately became the match-winner on his World Cup debut, sealing a memorable comeback for South Korea.
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