A dream come true: Estadio Guadalajara makes its World Cup debut | OneFootball

One of the main reasons why La Casa de los Mexicanos was built was fulfilled tonight. The match between the Republic of Korea and Czechia, part of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, checked off the final box for Estadio Guadalajara, which was ultimately confirmed as one of the best sports venues in the world.

The home that Don Jorge Vergara (R.I.P.) envisioned for his Chivas fully lived up to international expectations and looked its very best for the historic occasion that brought the world’s top football tournament to the Pearl of the West for the third time.

From early on, the overwhelming majority of South Korean fans became noticeable around the last mile leading to Estadio Guadalajara. This became even clearer when the match kicked off, as the Asian supporters packed the stadium’s north stand.

While it is true that the color that dominated the stands was Mexican green, thanks to the presence of thousands of local fans who came to enjoy the first of the four matches our city will host, a large part of the tricolor crowd decided to join the Korean side in cheering on the Tigers of Asia during the match.

The Czechs, not as well organized in the stands, tried to make themselves heard in support of their national team, but were quickly overwhelmed by the red wave each time they tried... until their team managed to light up the scoreboard in the 59th minute, prompting the first World Cup goal celebration to thunder through the Red-and-White Fortress. After starting the second half with greater intensity, the Europeans tilted the field and managed to open the scoring from a corner kick, when Ladislav Krejci rose to send the ball into the back of the net with a header that was impossible to stop.

However, Czech joy was short-lived. Just eight minutes later, the Red Devils leveled the score with an absolute golazo from Hwang In-beom, who with a single cut inside the box shook off both a defender and the goalkeeper before finishing across goal and restoring the euphoria to the red tide.

With ten minutes left, the Republic of Korea sealed the match in its favor. In-beom reached the end line and drove in a powerful low cross that found the touch of Oh Hyeon-gyu, who slipped in behind the defense to push the ball into the back of the net and set off the celebration among the thousands of Asian fans present at Estadio Guadalajara.

2026 FIFA World CupRepublic of Korea 2-1 Czechia(Hwang In-beom 67’ and Oh Hyeon-gyu 80’)(Ladislav Krejci 59’)Referee: Amin Mohamed OmarEstadio GuadalajaraAttendance: 44,985 fans

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.