Cho Gue-sung stays late for extra shooting drills after missing Czech Republic match

Cho Gue-sung of FC Midtjylland, left out of South Korea's opening 2026 FIFA World Cup match against the Czech Republic, volunteered to stay behind for extra training as he prepares to fight for a starting spot.

South Korea's national team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, held a recovery session Saturday at Chivas Valle Verde in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico. Players trained in high spirits, still riding the momentum of the previous day's victory over the Czech Republic.

When the roughly one-hour session wrapped up, Cho did not head for the locker room. He stayed on the pitch alongside Kang Sang-yun of Jeonbuk, Jens Castrop of Borussia Mönchengladbach and Kim Moon-hwan of Daejeon to run additional finishing drills. Castrop and Kim delivered crosses from the flanks off Kang's passes, with Cho finishing at goal — a clear sign of his determination to earn playing time in the next match.

Against the Czech Republic, Son Heung-min of LAFC started as the lone striker, while Cho and Oh Hyeon-gyu of Besiktas began on the bench. Hong brought Oh on as a substitute, and Oh scored the go-ahead winner to secure South Korea's first victory of the tournament.

"Watching Oh Hyeon-gyu score in the Czech Republic match, Cho Gue-sung's competitive instincts must have kicked into high gear," a football industry official said.

Cho had established himself in the national team setup before Oh. He also appeared at the Qatar World Cup four years ago, scoring twice and raising high expectations for Korean football. Knee surgery in the summer of 2024 was followed by complications that wiped out an entire year of his career.

Cho returned after a lengthy rehabilitation, but he struggled to recapture the threatening presence up front he had shown before the injury. In the meantime, Oh built on strong club form to cement his own place in the national team.

Cho managed to peak at the right time late in the season, earning his place at a second World Cup. His chances of seeing action remain real. South Korea's next two group stage opponents — Mexico and South Africa — are not as physically imposing as the Czech Republic, which could work in Cho's favor given his aerial ability and strength in physical duels.

“빚내서 LG 샀다가” 이틀 연속 상한가 믿었더니 줄줄이 ‘낭패’…순식간에 반토막

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