ZAPOPAN: Substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu emerged as South Korea’s hero with a late winner as the Asian side kicked off their FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic at Guadalajara Stadium on Friday.
The Koreans dominated large portions of the contest but were repeatedly frustrated in front of goal before Oh came off the bench to seal all three points in the closing stages.
South Korea, led by star forward Son Heung-min, controlled possession and created the better opportunities throughout the first half.
However, a combination of wasteful finishing and resilient Czech defending ensured the teams went into the break level.
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Son came closest to breaking the deadlock before halftime, first firing over the crossbar and later producing a driving run through the Czech defence only to drag his effort wide of the target.
Despite spending much of the opening period on the back foot, the Czech Republic struck first early in the second half. Ladislav Krejci rose highest at the near post to power home a header and give his side a surprise lead against the run of play.
South Korea continued to push forward and eventually found the breakthrough their performance deserved in the 67th minute.
Midfielder Hwang In-beom showed excellent composure inside the box, deceiving the defence with a dummy before delicately lifting the ball beyond goalkeeper Matej Kovar to level the score.
Moments after the equaliser, the Korean head coach introduced Oh Hyeon-gyu in place of Son, a substitution that proved decisive.
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The Czech Republic thought they had regained the lead when the ball found the back of the net, but the effort was ruled out, keeping South Korea firmly in the contest.
With ten minutes remaining, Oh timed his run perfectly before calmly slotting home the winner to complete the comeback.
South Korea managed to withstand late Czech pressure and held on for a valuable opening-match victory, with Son collapsing to the turf in celebration after the final whistle.
Earlier in the day, co-hosts Mexico launched their World Cup campaign in style with a comfortable 2-0 victory over South Africa at Estadio Azteca.
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