South Korea 2-1 Czechia: Hwang and Oh Complete Comeback in Guadalajara

South Korea announced themselves as potential dark horses on the tournament's opening day, coming from a goal down to beat Czechia 2-1 at the Estadio Guadalajara in Zapopan in front of 44,985 fans.

Czechia struck first against the run of play. Ladislav Krejci headed in from Vladimír Coufal's long throw in the 59th minute, threatening to turn an evening South Korea had largely controlled. The response was swift: In-Beom Hwang cut inside and finished delicately to equalise in the 67th, and after Tomáš Souček had a header ruled out for offside at the other end, Hyeon-Gyu Oh converted from close range in the 80th to win it.

The numbers told the story of South Korea's control — 62% possession and 464 completed passes to Czechia's 242. Captain Son Heung-min was the side's focal point and finished with six shots, though most missed the target; the game's creative spark came instead from Hwang and Kang-In Lee, whose movement between the lines repeatedly unsettled the Czech defence.

The result leaves South Korea level on points with Mexico at the top of Group A after the opening round — and sets up a meeting between the two winners in Guadalajara next Thursday. Czechia, at their first World Cup as an independent nation since 2006, will look to respond against South Africa, who finished the opener with nine men.

Sources: Sky Sports — South Korea 2-1 Czech Republic: In-Beom Hwang inspires comeback win · ESPN — South Korea 2-1 Czechia, final score