South Korea produced a stunning comeback to defeat the Czech Republic 2-1 in their World Cup opener, with substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu scoring the decisive goal in the 80th minute.
Despite dominating much of the contest, South Korea fell behind in the 59th minute when Czech captain Ladislav Krejci headed home a long throw from Vladimir Coufal. The Czechs had not registered a shot on target before the breakthrough.
Led by captain Son Heung-min, South Korea created several chances throughout the game, but goalkeeper Matej Kovar kept them at bay, including denying the former Tottenham star from close range.
The Asian side responded quickly through Hwang In-beom, who levelled the score eight minutes later. Found inside the box by Lee Kang-in, Hwang brilliantly deceived Kovar with a dummy before lofting the ball into the empty net.
South Korea survived a scare in the 78th minute when Tomas Soucek appeared to restore the Czech lead, only for the goal to be ruled out for offside. Two minutes later, Oh Hyeon-gyu completed the turnaround, tapping home Hwang's cross to send the Korean supporters into celebration.
Goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu preserved the lead with crucial saves from Adam Hlozek and Michal Sadilek late in the game, ensuring South Korea secured all three points.
The victory marks the first time in four World Cup editions that South Korea have opened their campaign with a win.
