Impressive Korea starts World Cup with a bang
Korea came from behind to beat the Czech Republic 2-1 on Thursday evening (local time) in Guadalajara to start the 2026 World Cup with a deserved win, even if it was touch and go for a while. Some missed chances meant that for a while, it looked like the points were slipping away, but in the end it was a fine performance from coach Hong Myung-bo’s men. The Taegeuk Warriors' first opening win at the World Cup since 2010 sets them up nicely to get out Group A and into the knockout stages. The three points are welcome, but so is the fact that Korea played some exciting and attractive soccer, in contrast to the physical Czechs who mostly threatened from set pieces. Hwang In-beom was the star; the midfielder scored a fine equalizer and then assisted Oh Hyeon-gyu for the winning goal. After all the pretournament criticism and uncertainty, there were big smiles on the faces of the Korean players and their army of fans in Mexico. The first half belonged to the 2002 semifinalists. Lee Kang-in was pulling the strings going forward, picking out passes and finding space. Son Heung-min is still th
