Mexican media hail Hwang In-beom's goal as 'masterpiece,' warn of South Korea threat

Mexican media heaped praise on South Korea and Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord) after watching the team defeat Czech Republic in their 2026 World Cup Group A opener, with outlets in the same group signaling they are taking the Koreans seriously ahead of a looming showdown.

Leading daily El Universal gave extensive coverage to Friday's Group A match between South Korea and Czech Republic, declaring that Hwang "was by far the standout player of the match." The paper reserved particular admiration for his equalizer, calling it "a truly fantastic goal" and a "masterpiece" — "Magistral," in its original wording.

El Universal described in detail how Hwang "beat a defender inside the penalty box before lobbing the goalkeeper with a delicate chip shot." The paper also lauded the precise cross that set up Oh Hyeon-gyu's go-ahead goal, calling it "a perfectly measured delivery." Summing up South Korea's second-half resurgence, the paper concluded that Korea had "sent Mexico a warning."

With the victory, South Korea will face host nation and Group A leader Mexico in their second group-stage match at Guadalajara Stadium on June 19.

Conservative daily Reforma also noted that the "Tigers of Asia" — Los Tigres de Asia — produced a high-quality performance in the second half, singling out Hwang for a "class finish" inside the penalty area.

Business daily El Financiero analyzed the turning point of the match, writing that "Hwang In-beom put on a perfect one-man show inside the penalty box to pull level." The outlet ran the headline "Asia's great comeback — Korea dismantles Czech Republic… winner-takes-all showdown with Mexico for top spot in the group," making no effort to hide its anticipation of the upcoming clash.

Other outlets also predicted that the South Korea-Mexico match would determine who tops the group. Reforma wrote that "a winner-takes-all duel that will bring this World Cup to a fever pitch is now on the horizon," while the country's largest sports outlet, Mediotiempo, ratcheted up the tension with the headline: "All eyes already on Mexico… Korea beats Czech Republic to claim first win."