South Korea came from behind to defeat the Czech Republic 2-1 in the 2026 World Cup on Thursday night. After a lackluster first half, the Czech Republic took the lead in the 59th minute with a header by captain Ladislav Krejci.

However, South Korea equalized in the 67th minute when Hwang In-beom scored after faking a shot to clear two Czech players. Hwang then made the cross from the right flank for Oh Hyeon-gyu’s decisive strike in the 80th minute.

South Korea Celebrates Win

The South Korean squad celebrated with its fans behind one of the goals after the final whistle. The players later posed for a photo with the fans behind them.

Star forward Son Heung-min, who plays for Los Angeles FC of Major League Soccer, had a couple of good opportunities to add to his tally but missed wide in the first half and had a close-range shot saved in the second.

The Czechs thought they had retaken the lead with another set piece in the 77th, but Tomas Soucek was ruled offside on his header.

Czech Republic coach Miroslav Koubek said, ‘probably the better team won.’ However, he believed his team could have had a better outcome if it weren’t for ‘some mistakes.’

Original reporting: KSAT Sports (San Antonio) — read the source article.