South Korea comes from behind to beat Czech Republic 2-1: Hwang In-beom makes World Cup history.
Hwang In-beom's brilliant performance helped South Korea defeat the Czech Republic 2-1, thus maintaining their impressive winning streak against European teams in Group A of the 2026 World Cup.
The dramatic clash in Group A of the 2026 World Cup between South Korea and the Czech Republic ended with an emotional comeback. On a day when star player Son Heung-min was largely silent, midfielder Hwang In-beom stepped into the spotlight to become the savior of the Asian representatives.
Hwang In-beom: When the conductor transforms into a hero.
The midfielder, currently playing for Feyenoord, had the most explosive 90 minutes of his international career. Not only did he control the game, but Hwang In-beom also directly contributed to both of his team's goals. In the 67th minute, receiving a delicate pass from Lee Kang-in, he calmly bypassed the opposing defender before unleashing a powerful shot to equalize the score at 1-1.
In the 80th minute, In-beom delivered a perfect cross for Oh Hyun-gyu to tap in from close range, securing a 2-1 victory. With this achievement, he officially became the third South Korean player in history to both score and assist in a World Cup match, equaling the legends Choi Soon-ho (1986) and Hong Myung-bo (1994).
The disappointment named Son Heung-min
In contrast to In-beom's brilliant performance, captain Son Heung-min had a below-expected day. Despite playing as a center forward and actively taking shots, the Tottenham striker lacked his usual sharpness. Statistics show that Son's expected goals (xG) was only 0.65, yet he missed at least three clear-cut chances.
Most notably, there was the close-range shot that was blocked in the 12th minute and the unfortunate slip right in front of an empty goal in the first half. Son's substitution in the 69th minute for Oh Hyun-gyu shows that coach Hong Myung-bo is ready to make decisive personnel decisions for the benefit of the team.
Kim Seung-gyu's steel wall and the Guadalajara curse.
Besides the attacking brilliance, South Korea's victory was largely thanks to goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu. In the final minutes of the match, when the Czech Republic launched a full-scale attack, Seung-gyu made at least two spectacular saves. Particularly in the 90+4th minute, his diving save after Sadílek's close-range shot directly secured the three points for the Asian representatives.
Conversely, this defeat extends the Czech Republic's poor run of form in Guadalajara, Mexico. This marks their fourth consecutive loss at this venue in World Cup finals, dating back to the 1970 tournament under the name of Czechoslovakia.
The nemesis of European football teams.
The dramatic victory against the Czech Republic once again affirmed South Korea's status as a "nemesis" for representatives of the Old Continent. This was their third consecutive win against European teams in the World Cup, following their remarkable victories against Germany (2018) and Portugal (2022).
With these three valuable points, South Korea now leads Group A alongside host nation Mexico. This result provides a huge psychological boost for coach Hong Myung-bo's players ahead of the crucial match against Mexico on June 19th to determine the group winner.
