South Korea come back to beat Czechia in World Cup opener

South Korea fight back to beat Czechia 2–1

Your World Cup started with a punch to the gut. Ladislav Krejci scored early and Czechia looked in control, but South Korea flipped it. Oh Hyeon-gyu, running a 38°C fever, levelled in the 57th minute before Hwang In-beom chipped a clever winner past the keeper in the 72nd, punishing a Vladimír Coufal long throw gone wrong (1) (5).

Oh admitted after the match he almost didn't play: "To be honest, I wasn't feeling well. My fever went up to 38 degrees Celsius, making me wonder if I could even play. Just being here at the World Cup is something I am grateful for" (2).

Tomáš Souček, Adam Hlozek and Michal Sadilek all started in Texas but couldn't find a way back after the Korean equaliser. Manager Hong Myung-bo celebrated the comeback as a sign of team unity (4).

You sit bottom of Group A with zero points. The next match is non-negotiable.

Fan reactions

The World Cup opener left neutrals impressed, and Czechia fans frustrated. PSG supporters on Reddit were buzzing about Lee Kang-in, who completed 100% of his passes over 90 minutes against Czechia, with some questioning why he doesn't start more often in Paris (r/psg). Czechia fans, meanwhile, felt the match slipped away after a promising start, with many on r/worldcup calling it a "rollercoaster" and admitting they thought the win was in hand before Korea's comeback (r/worldcup).