Hwang In-beom inspires South Korea’s comeback win over Czechia

South Korea began their World Cup with a scare and ended it in celebration. Trailing to a Ladislav Krejci header in the second half, they turned the game around through Hwang In-beom and Oh Hyeon-gyu to beat Czechia 2-1 in Guadalajara on June 11. It was the response they wanted after falling behind, and it left them level with Mexico at the top of Group A.

For an hour, the night looked like it might go the other way. Czechia sat deep, struck from a set piece, and seemed content to frustrate a Korean side that had plenty of the ball without much to show for it. Then Hwang took the game by the scruff of the neck.

Krejci punishes Korea from a long throw

Czechia’s goal in the 59th minute came from a familiar source of trouble. Vladimir Coufal hurled a long throw into the box and Krejci, the Czech captain, climbed above the Korean defence to head it home. It was the kind of goal South Korea will be annoyed to concede, having controlled possession for most of the opening hour without making it count.

Son Heung-min had been their likeliest route to a breakthrough. The LAFC forward, leading the line in what may be his last World Cup, tested the Czech goalkeeper with a long-range effort before the interval and forced a sharp save early in the second half. The goal would not come from him, though.

Hwang turns the game in 13 minutes

The equaliser, when it arrived in the 67th minute, was worth the wait. Hwang In-beom picked the ball up on the edge of the area, beat two defenders with a quick shift of his feet, and clipped a finish beyond the goalkeeper. It was the moment the match had been crying out for, and it flipped the mood entirely.

Thirteen minutes later Hwang was at it again, this time as the provider. His cutback picked out substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu, who slid in to finish in the 80th minute and put South Korea in front. The composure from Oh mattered, but the goal was built on Hwang’s work, and he walked off with a goal and an assist to his name.

Czechia went looking for a leveller in the closing stages but could not find one, and South Korea managed the finish comfortably enough.

Group A takes shape

The three points leave South Korea alongside Mexico, who beat South Africa 2-0 in the tournament’s opening match earlier in the day. The reward for the comeback is a meeting with the hosts on June 18, before South Korea close their group campaign against South Africa on June 24.

More than the win itself, it was the way they got there that will please them. Falling behind at a World Cup and hitting back without their captain getting on the scoresheet is the kind of test that tells you something about a side.

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