Dominating Possession and Exploiting Space: Hong Myung-bo's Squad Clinches Comeback Win with Tailored Tactics

Hong Myung-bo's squad maintained possession against a tall Czech Republic side while targeting the space behind their defense, securing a satisfying comeback victory by scoring both the equalizer and the winning goal through the same pattern.

The South Korean national football team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, conceded the opening goal but bounced back with two consecutive goals to secure a 2-1 victory in their opening Group A match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup at Guadalajara Stadium in Zapopan, Mexico, on June 12 (KST).

The national team matched the Czech Republic's tactics by deploying an identical 3-4-2-1 formation.

Hong's side has been refining a "flexible back-three system" that transitions into a back-four during attacks and a back-five during defense. They elevated their tactical execution in the match against the Czech Republic, laying the groundwork for the comeback win.

Against a Czech team packed with tall players, Hong's squad harassed the less mobile Czech defensive line by delivering long passes aimed at forward Son Heung-min (LAFC).

The Czech Republic also countered South Korea with a single pattern: attacking through long passes.

However, while the Czech Republic took a simplistic approach, South Korea retained possession in midfield, with Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord) and Lee Kang-in (PSG) repeatedly attempting passes into the space behind the defenders to create scoring opportunities.

A sharp long pass from defender Lee Gi-hyeok (Gangwon) to Son Heung-min in the 3rd minute of the first half, followed three minutes later by Lee Kang-in's diagonal pass to the overlapping Lee Tae-seok, was more than enough to rattle the opponent's defensive line.

Although South Korea conceded a goal in the 14th minute of the second half to a simple header from a throw-in—unable to prevent it due to a height disadvantage—the team showed resilience by fully utilizing "passes into space" to secure both the equalizer and the winning goal.

In the 22nd minute of the second half, Lee Kang-in delivered a through ball from midfield into the gap between the Czech defenders. Hwang In-beom rushed forward, bypassed both a defender and the goalkeeper with a clever feint, and slotted home the equalizer with his right foot.

The winning goal by Oh Hyeon-gyu (Besiktas) in the 35th minute of the second half also originated from midfield, where Paik Seung-ho (Birmingham) sent a pass into the space behind the defense. Hwang In-beom controlled it and delivered a cross, which the rushing Oh tapped in to seal the comeback victory.

Hong's squad, which had previously faced criticism from fans for "lacking clear tactics," delivered a dramatic comeback victory by relentlessly targeting the space behind the Czech defense throughout the 90 minutes.


South Korea attempted 15 shots against the Czech Republic, converting two of their six shots on target into goals.

Given the level of tactical execution shown in their attack, the team's finishing left something to be desired.

In particular, Son Heung-min, who started as the lone striker, kept fans on the edge of their seats as his six threatening shots failed to find the back of the net before he was substituted for Oh Hyeon-gyu in the 24th minute of the second half.

Son put on a stellar performance, dropping deep into the center, flanks, and midfield to orchestrate play while also making rapid forward runs to take shots. However, his failure to convert decisive scoring opportunities remained a minor blemish.

It was also disappointing to see several instances where other players failed to fill the space when Son dropped deep into midfield, disrupting the flow of the attack.

Head coach Hong Myung-bo faced a dilemma in finalizing his back-three line after center-back Cho Yu-min (Al-Sharjah) withdrew due to an injury.

The national team had secured a 1-0 clean-sheet victory against El Salvador in a friendly on June 4 using the trio of Lee Gi-hyeok, Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), and Lee Han-beom (FC Midtjylland). Building on that success, Hong fielded the same back-three combination against the Czech Republic.

Although the back-three conceded one goal, Kim Min-jae completely neutralized the Czech Republic's tall striker Patrik Schick throughout the match, preventing any major threats outside of set pieces, which proved to be a key factor in the victory.

Lee Gi-hyeok utilized his excellent left-foot ability to distribute the ball smoothly forward, while Kim Min-jae contributed to the attacking play by attempting passes into space in addition to his defensive duties.

Although it was regrettable when Lee Gi-hyeok, making his World Cup debut, missed a tackle in the 16th minute of the first half and allowed an opponent to break through on the flank, he finished the match relatively well.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.