GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) 鈥� Hwang In-beom scored a goal and set up another as South Korea rallied to defeat the Czech Republic 2-1 in the second match of the on Thursday night.
After a lackluster first half in which both teams were jeered as they left the field, the Czech Republic took the lead in the 59th minute on a header by captain Ladislav Krejci after a long throw-in into the penalty area.
South Korea equalized in the 67th, when with a nifty move to clear two Czech players. The midfielder who plays for Dutch club Feyenoord then made the cross from the right flank for in the 80th in a match played in front of hundreds of empty seats at Guadalajara Stadium.
The South Korean squad celebrated with its fans behind one of the goals after the final whistle. Players later posed for a photo with the fans behind them.
鈥淚t was our first game and a very difficult one,鈥� South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo said. 鈥淭he win itself makes me happy, but what鈥檚 even more positive is that our boys won by not giving up. I knew that we were more than capable of winning, so at 1-1, I told the boys to keep playing the way we鈥檝e been playing.鈥�
It was South Korea’s first opening World Cup win since it beat Greece in 2010 in South Africa. South Korea beat European opponent in the tournament for a third straight time, following wins over Portugal in 2022 and Germany in 2018.
Let by star forward Son Heung-min, South Korea controlled possession and outshot the Czechs, who were making their first World Cup appearance since 2006. The Koreans, ranked 25th by FIFA, had most of the significant scoring chances against the 38th-ranked Czechs but failed to capitalize early.
Son was looking to become South Korea鈥檚 top goal scorer at the World Cup and the Asian player with the most goals in the tournament. The 33-year-old former Tottenham star, who now plays for Los Angeles FC of Major League Soccer, entered Thursday having scored three goals over three prior World Cups.
Appearing in his , Son 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 鈥減robably the better team won.鈥� But he said his team could have had a better outcome if it weren鈥檛 for 鈥渟ome mistakes.鈥�
鈥淲e played very well, it could have been a draw and we could have won as well,鈥� Koubek said.
The announced attendance was 44,985 at the 45,664-capacity Guadalajara Stadium, a crowd that included Sections in the middle of the stands had many unoccupied seats and there were other empty seats scattered across the stadium.
South Korea is making its 11th straight World Cup appearance and 12th overall, the most of any Asian country. Its best result was a fourth-place finish at the tournament it co-hosted with Japan in 2002. Since then, the South Koreans have never gone beyond the round of 16.
In the other Group A match on Thursday, co-host in the tournament opener in Mexico City.
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