In an entertaining nightcap to conclude the opening day of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, South Korea surged late to secure a comeback win.After a frustrating first half that saw South Korea dominate without scoring, Czechia opened the scoring with a set-piece goal from captain Ladislav Krejčí. From there, however, it only served as a wake-up call for South Korea, which raised its game considerably and got impressive goals from In-Beom Hwang and Hyun-Gyu Oh. Here are my takeaways:1. South Korea’s Persistence Pays OffThe game opened with South Korea dominating possession and Czechia sitting back patiently with a focus on team defense. That was to be expected as Czechia is a team that has been reliant on its defense for years.But South Korea won this game by not becoming frustrated, when it easily could have. Despite creating several chances in the final 10 minutes of the first half, South Korea headed to the locker room at halftime empty-handed.Then, in the second half, Czechia took the lead completely against the run of play through its biggest strength on a set-piece goal from Krejčí. Czechia goalscorer and captain Ladislav Krejci applauds his nation’s fans after the game. (Molly Darlington/Getty Images) At a time when South Korea could have either crumbled under pressure, panicked or forced chances, the team stuck with its game plan and remained focused on its attack. Eventually, the Taegeuk Warriors were rewarded with a brilliant goal in the 67th minute when Lee Kang-In delivered a brilliant pass that found Hwang, who chipped Czechia goalkeeper Matej Kovár after some impressive footwork.From there, it only seemed like a matter of time before South Korea found the winner. That indeed came when Hwang moved down the right side and set up substitute Oh for a close-range finish.South Korea head coach Myung-Bo Hong deserves a lot of credit. First, his decisions were spot on. Removing captain and team legend Son Heung-min in the 69th minute is one that could have been viewed controversially if it did not work, but Oh came on and found the winner. But more than his tactical decisions, Hong instilled a lot of resolve into his team. Comeback wins are never easy at the World Cup, and they require the team to have a strong mentality. That typically stems from the coach. 2. Czechia Are Set Pieces Masters, But More Is NeededComing into this game, Czechia’s game plan was no secret. Its biggest strength is its ability to score on set pieces. In World…
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2026-06-12 05:55:26
