South Korea, Czechia chase fast start
South Korea and Czechia will both chase a fast start at the 2026 FIFA World Cup when they meet in a Group A match at Estadio Akron in Zapopan on Friday morning (12 June), kick-off at 4am CAT.
FORM
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South Korea warmed up for the World Cup with friendly wins over Trinidad and Tobago (5-0) and El Salvador (1-0) on May 31 and June 4 respectively.
The Taegeuk Warriors would have been hoping for a more emphatic showing in the latter match, where Lee Dong-Gyeong’s goal separated the teams, but coach Hong Myung-bo shuffled his pack and experimented somewhat.
South Korea will be appearing at their 12th World Cup. Their best showing came as co-hosts in 2002 when they reached the semifinals, while they got as far as the round of 16 before falling to Brazil at Qatar 2022.
Czechia warmed up for the tournament by defeating Kosovo (2-1) and Guatemala (3-1) on May 31 and June 5 respectively.
The latter match saw Patrik Schick open the scoring, and the Bayer Leverkusen striker will be the key figure for Narodak.
Czechia will be appearing at their 10th World Cup, and a first since 2006. As Czechoslovakia they were runners-up in 1934 and 1962, while their last showing 20 years ago ended in the group stage.
WHAT THE TEAMS ARE SAYING
South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo on their win over El Salvador: “We had some difficulties offensively early in the match, but I think this match will be of huge help for us. Czechia play a similar style, and I think our players must have learned a great deal by playing this type of team. We have to bear down on generating more [goal scoring] opportunities.”
Czechia coach Miroslav Koubek insists his team is not happy just to be returning to the World Cup: “We're not flying all the way to Mexico just to make up the numbers. It has been 20 years since the Czech Republic last played in a World Cup. Preparation time has been short and we have not had enough time to adapt to local conditions, including Mexico’s high altitude. Still, at the very least, we expect to advance from the group stage.”
HEAD-TO-HEAD
In head-to-head terms, South Korea and Czechia have met in three previous matches. Each side has claimed one win, while one game ended in a draw.
Their most recent meeting was an international friendly in Prague in June 2016 which saw the Taegeuk Warriors claim a 2-1 win thanks to goals from Yoon Bit-garam and Suk Hyun-jun.
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