Czechia suffered a 2-1 defeat to South Korea in their opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in Mexico on Thursday, despite taking the lead midway through the second half.

Ladislav Krejčí appeared to have put the Czechs on course for a positive start when he headed home in the 59th minute at Estadio Guadalajara in Zapopan. Vladimir Coufal’s long throw found the unmarked defender inside the six-yard box, and Krejčí made no mistake with Czechia’s first shot on target of the match.

The advantage lasted only eight minutes. South Korea equalised through Hwang In-beom, who was played through by Lee Kang-in before calmly lifting the ball over goalkeeper Matěj Kovář after cutting inside the Czech defence.

Czechia thought they had regained the lead in the 77th minute when Tomáš Souček headed into the net, but the goal was ruled out for offside after a VAR review.

The missed opportunity proved costly. Just three minutes later, Hwang turned provider, delivering a cross from the right that substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu converted from close range to give Korea a 2-1 lead.

The Czech side pushed for a late equaliser, creating several dangerous moments in the closing stages. Adam Hložek came close in the 82nd minute, but Korean goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu produced an important save. Deep into stoppage time, Kim denied Michal Sadílek with another impressive stop to preserve his team’s advantage.

Although Ivan Hašek’s men showed resilience after a difficult first half, they struggled to create clear chances throughout the match. Tomáš Souček had their best opening before the break when a corner kick narrowly drifted wide, while Kovář kept Czechia in the game with several key saves against Son Heung-min and South Korea’s attacking pressure.

The defeat leaves Czechia under pressure early in Group A. With Mexico having beaten South Africa 2-0 in the tournament’s opening match, the Czech team will likely need a positive result in their next fixture to keep their hopes of reaching the knockout stage alive.

Would you like us to write about your business? Find out more