“Put the entire stadium on mute”

Fans reacted to Korea Republic midfielder Hwang In-beom’s brilliant chipped finish in his team’s come-from-behind 2-1 win over Czechia in their 2026 FIFA World Cup Group A opener at the Estadio Guadalajara on Thursday (June 11).

Following a goalless first period, Ladislav Krejci broke the deadlock on the cusp of the hour mark before Hwang produced a moment of magic with a superb equaliser.

Ten minutes from time, Oh Hyeon-gyu struck the winner as the Taegeuk Warriors made a winning start to a World Cup campaign for the first time in 16 years. Meanwhile, for Czechia, it marked a losing start to their first FIFA World Cup campaign since Germany 2006.

Hwang – who plies his club football for Eredivisie side Feyernoord – was the talk of the town with his sumptuous finish, sparking his team’s comeback.

“Such an underrated baller!!!,” one tweeted.

“Bro scored and immediately put the entire stadium on mute,” another commented.

“Bro pulled up with the chef’s kiss finish while the Czechs were still setting the table,” one posted.

“Outstanding goal,” another commented.

“My goat,” one posted.

“He was brilliant in that midfield,” another wrote.

Czechia next take on 2010 hosts South Africa – who also made a losing start to their campaign (going down 2-0 to co-hosts Mexico) – on June 18 in Georgia (USA), while Korea play Mexico a day later in Guadalajara.

A look back at Korea Republic’s last victory in their opening FIFA World Cup game

While the Korea Republic have been regulars in recent editions of the FIFA World Cup, victory in their opening game isn’t a common occurence. As mentioned earlier, the Taegeuk Warriors’ win on Thursday was their first at a World Cup since South Africa 2010.

On that occasion, Korea overcame another European opposition, Greece – who didn’t qualify this time – by two unanswered goals at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.

Lee Jung-soo opened the scoring inside seven minutes before Park Ji-sung did likewise seven minutes into the second period to mark the third straight time they won their first game at a FIFA World Cup.

The Taegeuk Warriors’ campaign, though, came to an end in the Round of 16 with a 2-1 defeat to two-time winners Uruguay in Port Elizabeth. Following successive group-stage ousters, they returned to the Round of 16 at Qatar 2022, losing 4-1 to Brazil.