South Korea vs Czechia 2-1 — Hosts Wear Down the Visitors

South Korea beat Czechia 2-1 in a group-stage match where the expected-goals numbers backed up the hosts' advantage — 2.3 to 0.83 — converted in the second half.

Ladislav Krejci unexpectedly put the visitors ahead in the 59th minute, but the hosts responded quickly: Hwang In-beom leveled it in the 67th, and substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu won it for South Korea in the 80th.

A quick comeback across 21 minutes of game time

From Krejci's goal to Oh Hyeon-gyu's winner, just 21 minutes elapsed — South Korea showed real character.

Quickly responding to an unexpected setback and closing out the win in the time remaining.

15 shots for the hosts against 7 for the visitors

South Korea fired more than twice as many shots as Czechia.

With 10 of 15 attempts coming from inside the opposing box — numbers that confirm the hosts' control for almost the entire match.

Possession split 62-38 in the hosts' favor

With that kind of possession edge, South Korea completely dictated the tempo of the match.

And 541 passes against the visitors' 327 simply confirms the degree of territorial superiority the hosts held for nearly the entire 90 minutes.

A goals-prevented reading of 0.06 for both sides

A small positive goals-prevented figure for both teams suggests the overall result broadly matched what the model expected.

A stat confirming the relatively predictable nature of this match, despite the dramatic finish.

Son Heung-min didn't score, but set up the winner

South Korea captain Son Heung-min was substituted in the 69th minute for Oh Hyeon-gyu.

A decision that paid off immediately, since it was his replacement who scored the winning goal just 11 minutes after coming on.

Discipline stayed under control throughout

Just one yellow card for the entire match — Lee Gi-hyuk in stoppage time.

A rare discipline reading for a game with this dramatic a storyline and multiple lead changes on the scoreboard.

The win lifts South Korea in Group A

South Korea entered the match third in Group A on 3 points.

While Czechia sat bottom on 1 — the home win confirmed the group picture ahead of the remaining fixtures.

Blocked shots confirm the territorial edge

4 blocked shots for the hosts against 1 for the visitors.

The numbers confirm South Korea's defense also controlled the immediate approaches to their own goal, even while dominating possession in the attacking phase at the other end.

Czechia landed an unexpected blow midway through the second half

Krejci's goal caught many off guard given the possession and shot numbers — a side playing without a listed head coach in the match record briefly disrupted the hosts' plans before South Korea regained control of the game.

It wasn't the cleanest 45 minutes South Korea have played, but a two-goal response inside 21 minutes says plenty about the squad's depth.