South Korea started its participation in the 2026 North American World Cup on the right foot. The Asian Tigers defeated the Czech Republic 2-1 at the Guadalajara Stadium, adding their first three points.
Performance and winning goal
In-beom Hwang led the South Korean attack, although the team did not display the expected football. Forward Hyeon-gyu Oh, scorer of the winning goal, spoke in the mixed zone after the game.
“From the first half, many Mexican fans were shouting ‘Korea, Korea’. When I entered the field, near the end of the game, I again heard the Mexican and Korean fans encouraging us with shouts, that was a source of energy that allowed us to continue running and fighting: I could say that it was one of the keys to achieving victory.”
The Besiktas attacker acknowledged feeling grateful for the support received during the 90 minutes. Regarding scoring the goal that was worth three points, he expressed: “I am very happy to have scored in this first game, it was something I dreamed of four years ago. Although it is my first experience in a World Cup, four years ago I watched my teammates very closely and lived that experience, indirectly, so I was able to enter the field without getting too nervous.”
The physical challenge and the coach’s confidence
Oh revealed that he doubted his participation after a fever spike after lunch. “I thought several times if I could really play. I had many doubts, but our doctors took care of me with dedication,” he confessed.
He came on in the second half to replace Heung-min Son and became the hero. “The coach gave me a lot of confidence before coming in and told me to shoot a lot on goal. Thanks to that I was able to play with more confidence. I’m going to try even harder in the remaining games,” he added.
