South Korea 2-1 Czech Republic: Hwang In-Beom with a goal and an assist as Korea come from behind to win their opening group match

South Korea defeated the Czech Republic 2-1 in Group Stage - 1 of the 2026 World Cup. The two sides were scoreless at halftime, with the match level at 0-0.

All of the goals came after the break. In the 59th minute, L. Krejci put the Czech Republic ahead with an assist from V. Coufal to make it 0-1. South Korea responded in the 67th minute, when Hwang In-Beom scored with an assist from Lee Kang-In.

South Korea then turned the match around in the 80th minute to make it 2-1. Oh Hyeon-Gyu scored, with Hwang In-Beom providing the assist. That meant Hwang In-Beom scored in the 67th minute and assisted the winner in the 80th. In stoppage time at 90+6, Gi-Hyuk Lee received a yellow card.

In the match statistics, South Korea had 62% possession compared with 38% for the Czech Republic; expected goals were 2.00 for South Korea and 0.84 for the Czech Republic; shots were 15 for South Korea and 8 for the Czech Republic, with 6 on target for South Korea and 4 for the Czech Republic. Passing accuracy was 87% for South Korea and 71% for the Czech Republic; corners were 4 for South Korea and 5 for the Czech Republic; both sides were caught offside twice; saves were 3 for South Korea and 4 for the Czech Republic; and fouls were 9 for South Korea and 16 for the Czech Republic.

Looking ahead in the group schedule, South Korea’s next match will be on 2026-06-19 in Group Stage - 2 against Mexico. South Korea are currently second in Group A with 3 points from 1 match, a record of 1 win, 0 draws and 0 losses, a goal difference of +1, and they are in the official qualification zone for the Round of 32. The Czech Republic’s next match will be on 2026-06-18 in Group Stage - 2 against South Africa. The Czech Republic are currently third in Group A with 0 points from 1 match, a record of 0 wins, 0 draws and 1 loss, and a goal difference of -1.