Zapopan, Mexico – South Korea began their 2026 World Cup campaign with a valuable 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic in their opening match of Group A on Friday morning.
The match was held at the Akron stadium in Mexico, just hours after the host nation, Mexico, beat South Africa 2-0 in the tournament’s opening match.
The match was officiated by an Egyptian refereeing team led by international referee Amin Omar, assisted by Mahmoud Abu Al-Rijal and Ahmed Hossam Taha, while Mahmoud Ashour took charge of the video technology.
The first half ended in a goalless draw, amid mutual caution from both teams, before the pace of the match changed in the second half.
The Czech Republic took the lead through Ladislav Krejci in the 59th minute, giving his team the advantage and putting the Korean team under pressure.
The Korean response was not long in coming, as Beom Hwang managed to equalize in the 67th minute, bringing the match back to square one.
The following minutes witnessed great excitement after the Czech team managed to score again, but the referee canceled the goal due to offside after reviewing the situation.
The Korean team capitalized on the morale boost to snatch the winning goal in the 80th minute through substitute Hyun-gyu Oh, who translated his team’s superiority in the second half into a valuable victory.
ملخص مباراة كوريا الجنوبية وتشيكيا | دور المجموعات – كأس العالم FIFA 2026™#كأس_العالم2026 | #مونديال2026 | #كأس_العالم#FIFAWorldCup2026 | #FIFAWorldCup | #beINWC26 pic.twitter.com/DfJ9SLNZB3
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) June 12, 2026With this victory, South Korea raised its tally to three points, sharing the top spot in Group A with Mexico, while the Czech Republic and South Africa remained without points after the opening round.
The second round is set to witness a strong confrontation between Mexico and South Korea for the top spot in the group, while the Czech Republic and South Africa will be looking to make up for their first losses when they meet in a match where no further setbacks are acceptable.
