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Korea Republic Kick Off World Cup with Victory Over Czech Republic
In their World Cup opener, Korea Republic emerged triumphant against Czech Republic at Guadalajara Stadium, securing a 2-1 victory. The match saw a score of 0-0 at halftime before Korea Republic clinched the win. The first half finished 0-0 and it took until the 59th minute before Ladislav Krejci netted with an assist by Vladimír Coufal to give Czech Republic the lead. In the 67th minute In-beom Hwang equalised for Korea Republic, with an assist by Kang-in Lee. Hyeon-gyu Oh scored the decider with an assist by In-beom Hwang in the 80th minute to complete Korea Republic's come back. Korea Republic play Mexico on 19 June and South Africa on 25 June. Czech Republic's next opponents are South Africa on 18 June and Mexico on 25 June. Korea Republic play Mexico on 19 June and South Africa on 25 June. Czech Republic's next opponents are South Africa on 18 June and Mexico on 25 June.
2026 FIFA World Cup: South Korea, Czech Republic clash in second Group A fixture.
South Korea vs. the Czech Republic kicks off at 03:00 [GMT+1] on Friday, June 12, at the Guadalajara Stadium. South Korea will take on the Czech Republic in the second fixture of Group A, with co-host Mexico and South Africa having kicked off the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday. They head into the competition with considerable momentum. Under coach Myung-Bo Hong, they have developed into a highly disciplined and difficult team to beat. The Koreans are unbeaten in their last 14 matches and have lost only four of their previous 40 games across all competitions. Their consistency has been built on a strong defensive structure combined with an increasingly effective attack. Recent performances underline that balance. Across their last six matches, South Korea have averaged two goals per game while conceding just 0.67. They are also comfortable controlling possession, averaging more than 70% of the ball during that period. Their ability to dictate the tempo of matches could prove crucial against a Czech side that is often most dangerous when given opportunities to counterattack. Wolves’ Hwang Hee-Chan, former Spurs player Son Heung-Min and PSG’s Lee Kang-In are expected to team up at the attacking end of a 4—3—3 formation. Defender Cho Yu-Min is out due to a foot injury. The Czech Republic will arrive with confidence of their own. They have avoided defeat in 10 of their last 12 matches and are unbeaten in their last three. While perhaps not as dominant statistically as their opponents, they remain a well-organized and competitive side capable of troubling any team on their day. Over their last 16 matches, the Czechs have collected eight victories while averaging 1.88 goals scored per game. Their attacking approach is generally more direct than South Korea's, and they possess the physical presence and aerial ability to create problems from set pieces and crossing situations. However, defensive consistency has occasionally been an issue, with the team conceding an average of 1.19 goals per match during that span. The opening stages could be particularly important. South Korea's defensive record suggests they rarely give opponents many clear opportunities, but the Czech Republic have shown enough attacking quality to remain dangerous throughout the match. Given the recent form of both teams, this looks set to be a competitive and closely fought encounter. South Korea's unbeaten streak, superior possession numbers, and defensive solidity give them a slight edge, but the Czech Republic have enough resilience and attacking threat to make life difficult. A 4—2—3—1 formation with Leverkusen’s Patrik Schick in attack may be seen against South Korea.
