South Korea leads in shots on target, 1-0

Players from South Korea and the Czech Republic walk onto the pitch at Guadalajara Stadium in Zapopan, Mexico, ahead of their 2026 World Cup Group A opener on Thursday. [Yonhap]
Players from South Korea and the Czech Republic walk onto the pitch at Guadalajara Stadium in Zapopan, Mexico, ahead of their 2026 World Cup Group A opener on Thursday. [Yonhap]

South Korea and the Czech Republic played to a scoreless first half in their 2026 World Cup opener on Friday.

The South Korean national team, managed by Hong Myung-bo, was level with the Czech Republic at 0-0 at halftime in their Group A first-round match at Guadalajara Stadium in Zapopan, Mexico.

Hong deployed the three-back system his side has been refining for the past year, with captain Son Heung-min of LAFC leading the attack.

Lee Jae-sung of Mainz and Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain flanked the second line of attack on either side, while Hwang In-beom of Feyenoord and Baek Seung-ho of Birmingham City formed the midfield.

Lee Tae-seok of Vienna and Seol Young-woo of Zvezda started as the wing-backs. The three-man defensive line, from left to right, consisted of Lee Ki-hyuk of Gangwon, Kim Min-jae of Bayern Munich and Lee Han-beom of Midtjylland, with Kim Seung-gyu of Tokyo in goal.

The Czech Republic also fielded a strong lineup. Patrik Schick, the team's key striker who plays for Bayer Leverkusen in Germany, led the attack, while Ladislav Krejci — a teammate of Hwang Hee-chan at Wolverhampton Wanderers in the English Premier League — was deployed on the left side of the Czech back three.

South Korea had their first shot in the 12th minute. Lee Jae-sung received a long ball in front of goal and laid it back for Son Heung-min, whose shot deflected off a defender.

Moments later, Son met a cross from the left with a header at close range, but the ball sailed well over the crossbar.

South Korea kept pressing. In the 14th minute, the Czech goalkeeper dived to his left to parry a long-range effort from Lee Kang-in.

In the 21st and 22nd minutes, the Czech Republic won two consecutive corners — a set-piece weapon they are known for — but South Korea's defense held firm on both occasions.

Son unleashed a right-footed shot from just outside the penalty arc in the 38th minute and followed it with a left-footed attempt a minute later, but both went wide.

Son had another chance in stoppage time. He fell as he attempted to convert a cutback from Lee Tae-seok on the left, but his shot again failed to find the net.

Both sides played cautiously, keeping the tempo slow as defense took priority.

South Korea led in total shots, 7-2, and in shots on target, 1-0.

South Korea, who share Group A with Mexico and South Africa, are aiming to reach the round of 16 away from home for a second consecutive World Cup, having done so at the 2022 Qatar tournament.

In the tournament's opening match played earlier, host nation Mexico defeated South Africa 2-0. One Mexican player and two South African players were sent off.

With the tournament expanding from 32 to 48 nations, teams finishing third in their groups can now also advance to the knockout stage.

Hong's side are looking to finish as high as possible in the group stage to secure a favorable draw in the round of 32.

South Korea enter the match ranked 25th by FIFA, 15 places above the Czech Republic at 40th.

Despite forecasts of light evening rain, the sky above the stadium was clear at kickoff.

Korea Football Association President Chung Mong-gyu, who has announced he will step down after the tournament, watched the match from the VIP section alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino.


dingdong@heraldcorp.com