Czechia want the lead they let slip back
A vanished advantage against South Korea still stings — now Czechia get a chance to show for it.
Ladislav Krejčí climbed to a set-piece and nodded Czechia ahead against South Korea. Then it unravelled. Oh Hyeon-gyu and Hwang In-beom flipped the scoreline to win 2-1. Czechia know exactly what it feels like to watch an advantage drain away, and they walk into Group A carrying that bruise.
They arrive as the more expansive of these two: 2 wins, 2 draws and a single defeat across their last five, with Patrik Schick among the names in that 3-4-3 from the opener. The bookmakers have them as strong favourites.
South Africa, by contrast, are the outsiders — winless in five, their matches kept low and tight. This is a squad drawn largely from the South African Premiership, the bulk of it at Orlando Pirates and Mamelodi Sundowns, with Burnley's Foster the rare top-flight face after three goals and two assists.
Czechia's edge comes down to one thing: the finishing showing up this time.
Written and fact-checked by our AI preview desk from live match data. Refreshed as kickoff nears.
