FIFA WC: South Korea open their campaign with a comeback win against Czechia

South Korea produced a superb second-half comeback to registry a thrilling triumph implicit Czechia successful their radical A opener connected Friday. Substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu grabbed the victor for Korea successful the 80th infinitesimal arsenic they bushed the European federation 2-1 astatine the Estadio Akron successful Guadalajara.The Taeguk Warriors, competing successful their 11th consecutive FIFA World Cup and led by the talismanic Son Heung-min, were near frustrated for astir of the archetypal fractional arsenic Czechia, who are backmost connected football's biggest signifier for the archetypal clip successful 20 years controlled the defence and frustrated the Asian side's attacking moves. Son came closest successful the opening period, his speculative effort from region sailing conscionable implicit the crossbar.

The erstwhile Tottenham striker missed a decent magnitude of chances arsenic helium had attempted 5 of South Korea's 8 efforts successful the archetypal half. Czechs, who chased the crippled for astir of the archetypal fractional and did not person a changeable connected people until their skipper Ladislav Krejci roseate to powerfulness location a header from a Vladimir Coufal’s agelong propulsion for the opening extremity successful the 59th minute.After that the lucifer came into beingness and 8 minutes later, Lee Kang-in threaded a walk done the Czech defence and midfielder Hwang In-beom did the rest, wrong-footing some his marker and goalkeeper Matej Kovar earlier delicately lifting the shot into the acold country to marque it 1-1.

Czechia's Tomas Soucek thought helium had restored the pb successful the 77th infinitesimal erstwhile helium powered location a free-kick header, lone for the linesman to correctly regularisation him offside. With 10 minutes remaining, substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu completed the turnaround successful the astir objective manner arsenic helium latched onto a perfectly-timed cutback from Hwang earlier sliding the shot location astatine the adjacent station to implicit the turnaround.Goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu's outstanding precocious prevention from Michal Sadilek, who had the extremity astatine his mercy, proved the decisive infinitesimal successful the stoppage clip arsenic South Korea held steadfast to get the 3 important points.It is the archetypal clip successful 4 editions of the FIFA World Cup that South Korea person made a winning commencement to their campaign.Czechia volition adjacent look South Africa connected Thursday, 18 June, portion South Korea instrumentality connected World Cup co-hosts Mexico connected the aforesaid day, who bushed South Africa 2-0 successful the earlier Group A encounter.