Son Benched, Fever-Stricken Hyeon-Gyu Scores Korea’s Comeback Win Over Czechia

South Korea opened the 2026 World Cup on Friday morning in Guadalajara with a dramatic 2-1 comeback over Czechia. Hwang In-beom starred with a goal and an assist, but the surprise hero was Besiktas striker Oh Hyeon-gyu, who finished the turnaround despite being ill before kickoff.

According to the report, Oh felt unwell ahead of the match and his temperature reached 38 degrees Celsius. The medical staff treated him intensively in an effort to make him available, at least for the closing minutes. He later said, "I had a fever of 38 degrees and wondered if I could even play today."

Coach Hong Myung-bo made a bold move in the 69th minute with the score tied at 1-1, substituting captain Son Heung-min. Eleven minutes after coming on, Oh won a physical duel in the box and finished Hwang’s cross with his left foot to beat Matěj Kovář and complete the comeback. He said the team’s medical staff helped him get onto the field and believed that was also why he was able to score.

South Korea moved into second place in Group 1, behind host Mexico, which beat South Africa 2-0. The result gave Korea its first opening-match World Cup win in 16 years. The teams will meet Mexico on June 19 in a decisive match for first place in the group, and Oh said Korea would approach it with humility, study the host carefully, and give "100%".