Son Heung-min substituted in the Czech Republic match... Coach Hong Myung-bo maintains trust
South Korea stages a 2-1 come-from-behind win over the Czech Republic amid Son Heung-min's poor condition Check out the analysis of the match and the first World Cup finals victory in 16 years
The South Korea national football team came from behind to win 21 against the Czech Republic in the first match of Group A of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying stage held on the 12th (Korea time) at Estadio Guadalajara in Guadalajara, Mexico. Korea recorded its first victory in the opening match of a World Cup finals tournament in 16 years, since the 2010 South Africa tournament.
After the match, Czech head coach Miroslav Koubek said that they had effectively contained Son Heungmin. However, the article pointed out that the reason Son Heungmin failed to score was more due to his poor condition than the opponent's pressure. Son Heungmin created several chances in the first and second halves, but failed to score because of the goalkeeper's saves and issues with shooting accuracy, and he was substituted in the 24th minute of the second half.
After the match, head coach Hong Myungbo said that Son Heungmin gave the team stability in an important game, and that he was not greatly concerned about the missed chances. The media viewed that if Son Heungmin had been in normal condition, he could have made the most of more scoring opportunities.