ESP 16.6%
FRA 16.1%
POR 10.6%
ENG 9.7%
ARG 7.9%
South Korea came from behind to beat Czech Republic 2-1 in their Group A opener, Hwang In-Beom and Oh Hyeon-Gyu striking late after Krejci's goal.
How did South Korea turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 win?
For a neutral flicking between the day's Group A fare, this one looked like it might fizzle out at the interval. The sides went in level at 0-0, and the first 45 offered tension rather than goals. Then the match cracked wide open, and South Korea ended up doing the chasing before they did the celebrating.
Czech Republic struck first through Ladislav Krejci in the 59th minute, rewarding a side that arrived in North America with a reputation for physicality and a focal point in Patrik Schick. For a stretch it looked as though that blueprint, soak up pressure and land the heavier blow, might just hold.
It did not. South Korea answered inside eight minutes through Hwang In-Beom in the 67th, and once parity was restored the momentum only swung one way. Oh Hyeon-Gyu delivered the decisive moment in the 80th, flipping a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead that the Koreans saw out for all three points.
Ad
When did the game turn? The 21-minute spell that decided it
Every neutral remembers the swing more than the scoreline, and here the swing was compressed into a frantic 21-minute window. Nothing separated the teams for an hour; everything that mattered happened between the 59th and 80th minutes.
Krejci's opener was the spark. Conceding first can flatten a side, but it did the opposite to South Korea, who responded almost immediately through Hwang In-Beom. That quick reply is what turned a potential procession into a contest, denying the Czechs the chance to settle into the low-block, counter-punching rhythm that suits them.
The genuine turning point arrived with Oh Hyeon-Gyu's 80th-minute strike. From the moment it went in, the complexion of the match changed entirely: South Korea had the lead and the clock, while Czech Republic were forced to chase a game they had been leading barely 20 minutes earlier. For a watching purist, that reversal was the story of the night.
Was South Korea's win an upset or the expected result?
On paper, no. South Korea sat at FIFA #25 going into the tournament, a clear sixteen places above the Czech Republic at #41, and carried slightly longer-shot title odds of 0.8% to the Czechs' 0.4%. Neither side is a fancied contender, but the seeding pointed gently towards the Koreans.
What makes the result satisfying rather than routine is that South Korea had to earn it the hard way. Falling behind to the lower-ranked team flips the expectation on its head for half an hour, and plenty of favourites fail to recover from exactly that scenario. The Koreans did, which is the difference between living up to a ranking and merely being handed it.
For the Czech Republic, there is no shame in the margin, but there will be a quiet frustration. A side built to be awkward and to make the most of its moments took the lead and could not protect it, which is the cruellest way to leave a tournament opener with nothing.
What does the result mean for Group A?
Three points on matchday one are worth more than the performance that earns them, and South Korea banked the maximum despite an uneven evening. A side led by Son Heung-min now has a platform in Group A and, just as importantly, evidence that it can win a game it was losing.
Czech Republic leave with nothing from a fixture that was very much winnable, which raises the stakes on their remaining group games. When the margins are this fine between #25 and #41, a single dropped opener can be the difference between progression and an early flight home.
For the neutral, the wider takeaway is that Group A has a genuine pulse. A late turnaround in the opener sets a tone, and both these sides showed enough, the Czechs in their physical first hour, the Koreans in their second-half response, to suggest the group will be worth following.
The neutral's verdict: a slow burn that caught fire
This was a match that asked for patience and then repaid it generously. A goalless first half threatened a forgettable night, before three goals in 21 minutes delivered the kind of swing that keeps you in your seat.
The pleasure of a game like this, watched without allegiance, is the shape of its arc: a cagey opening, a bold Czech lead, an instant Korean reply and a late winner that rearranged everything. You rarely get all four beats in one evening.
South Korea will take the result and the resilience; Czech Republic will rue the eight minutes in which a winning position became a losing one. For everyone else, it was simply a good watch, and a reminder that the best World Cup drama often saves itself for the final half-hour.
Frequently asked
What was the final score of South Korea vs Czech Republic?
South Korea won 2-1, coming from behind in their Group A opener on 11 June 2026. The game was goalless at the break.
Who scored in South Korea 2-1 Czech Republic?
Ladislav Krejci scored for Czech Republic in the 59th minute, then Hwang In-Beom equalised for South Korea in the 67th and Oh Hyeon-Gyu netted the winner in the 80th.
Was South Korea's win an upset?
No. South Korea were the higher-ranked side at FIFA #25 against the Czech Republic at #41, and held marginally better pre-tournament title odds, so the result followed expectation even if the manner was dramatic.
What was the half-time score in South Korea vs Czech Republic?
It was 0-0 at half-time. All three goals came in the second half across a 21-minute spell between the 59th and 80th minutes.
