Mexico generated few scoring chances and missed several opportunities, but it made the most of the gift it received, defeating South Korea 1-0 at Guadalajara Stadium and securing first place in Group A. With two wins in two matches, one of the hosts of the 2026 World Cup already knows it will be in the Round of 32 and will continue its journey at home.
Luis Romo’s goal five minutes into the second half came in the most unexpected way: Seung-Gyu Kim came out to claim the ball which, after a cross and a missed header, seemed to be under his control. However, the goalkeeper collided with a teammate who ducked — Gi-hyuk Lee — lost possession, and the midfielder pushed it into the net.
The goalkeeper Seung-gyu Kim collided with Gi-hyuk Lee, lost the ball, and Mexico, which had been lamenting a missed cross, celebrated the decisive 1-0.
Afterward, Kim prevented Raúl Jiménez and Obed Vargas from extending the lead with two excellent saves, keeping the South Koreans within reach of an equalizer. However, when that seemed possible, a double save by Raúl Rangel on the goal line kept Mexico afloat. The hosts ultimately held on to the victory, despite suffering late pressure, allowing them to approach the final group match against the Czech Republic next Wednesday with confidence, as no rival can overtake them.
As the first tiebreaker criterion is the head-to-head result between teams tied on points, and South Korea was the only team capable of catching Mexico, this victory carried extra value. The Asians, second in the group with three points, will now have to secure qualification against South Africa, which has one point, the same as the Czech Republic after their earlier 1-1 draw.
Luis Romo (7) celebrates his goal alongside Jesús Gallardo (23), Erik Lira (6), and Johan Vásquez (5) in Mexico’s 1-0 victory over South Korea.
After heading into halftime accompanied by whistles from their supporters due to an uninspiring performance, Mexico celebrated a lead earned through an error by the opposing goalkeeper and ended the night singing “Cielito Lindo,” delighted to have secured passage to the next stage. They now await one of the eight teams that will qualify as the best third-place finishers. In just one week, with two victories and no goals conceded, El Tri has already ensured that it will remain at home while pursuing a deep run in the tournament it is co-hosting with the United States and Canada.
The Best Moments of Mexico vs. South Korea
South Korea pushed forward with crosses late in the match but could not find an equalizer. In the final play, Mexico launched a counterattack that reached the penalty spot before the referee blew the final whistle. Victory and qualification for the host nation, which capitalized on the South Korean mistake for the decisive 1-0.
South Korea earned the first corner kick of the match. Han-beom Lee headed the ball toward the ground at the far post, and it narrowly missed. The closing moments were tense because Mexico focused solely on defending and clearing the ball away.
A double save by Rangel rescued Mexico. He blocked a header and then stopped the rebound after another South Korean player poked it from the ground. A miraculous save. Six additional minutes were added after regulation time.
Vargas attempted a powerful angled shot, but Kim produced a great save. After his mistake on the goal, he redeemed himself with two excellent stops to prevent Mexico from increasing the lead.
Mexico continued making substitutions: Jiménez and Alvarado left the field, replaced by Israel Reyes and Santiago Giménez. Play slowed significantly during this phase.
Jiménez received the ball behind the last defender, shaped to shoot across goal, but goalkeeper Kim used his chest at the near post to prevent Mexico’s second goal.
Mexico made changes at the restart, with Romo and Gutiérrez leaving for Obed Vargas and Orbelín Pineda. South Korea mirrored the move with two offensive substitutions in an effort to create more attacking opportunities.
Mexico once again ceded possession, but South Korea moved the ball too slowly and became predictable in attack. The Mexicans relied on counterattacks. A hydration break approached, with less than half an hour remaining.
Captain Son found himself in an awkward position to finish, and the South Korean attack faded at the edge of the penalty area. It was his final action before leaving the field as part of a double attacking substitution.
Seung-Gyu Kim came out to claim a cross, collided with a teammate, lost the ball, and Luis Romo, who had been retreating toward his position, ended up scoring into an empty net. Mexico took the lead in Guadalajara.
Gallardo found himself alone on the left side after catching the defense out of position during a quick counterattack, but his finish was poor as he lost his footing. Mexico pushed slightly higher up the field at the beginning of the second half.
Second Half Begins
Play resumed with Mexico kicking off.
Halftime
The first half ended with most of the action taking place in Mexico’s half. The hosts stopped attacking and struggled to maintain possession after their lone dangerous chance. The score remained 0-0, with South Korea making the stronger impression and Mexican fans expressing their frustration through whistles.
Only South Korea created chances, but poor finishing and imprecision near the penalty area prevented them from scoring. The Asians dominated possession late in the first half. Four minutes of stoppage time were added.
South Korea patiently moved the ball, searching for openings in the Mexican defense. Mexico sat deep and pressed only during buildup. Young-woo Seol finished poorly after receiving a cross-field pass on the left side.
South Korea’s attacks followed a dangerous pattern: players attempted to break defensive lines against Mexico’s high back line. On two occasions, South Korean attackers were only centimeters away from staying onside for one-on-one opportunities with the goalkeeper.
Alvarado beat a defender and crossed from the right. Quiñones got in front of his marker to head the ball, but the South Korean goalkeeper made a solid save. The match began to gain rhythm.
The best moment of the match up to that point was ruled out. Heung-Min Son chipped the goalkeeper, and as the ball headed into the net, Álvarez cleared it off the line with a bicycle kick. The assistant referee raised the flag for offside afterward.
The crowd chanted “Ole, ole, ole,” but Mexico was circulating possession far from the opposing goal. At times the game flowed end-to-end, but both teams lost direction when approaching the penalty areas.
Mexico attempted to press high early and produced three weak long-range efforts. South Korea, which was booed whenever it had possession, remained patient and compact.
Kang-In Lee (19) challenged Julián Quiñones for the ball in the opening stages of Mexico vs. South Korea in Group A of the 2026 World Cup.
Kickoff
The ball started rolling in Guadalajara. Mexico and South Korea both had the chance to qualify for the Round of 32 on this very night.
The players entered the field at Guadalajara Stadium. It was time for the national anthems, greetings, the coin toss, and the countdown to kickoff.
The pre-match exercises concluded. Both teams returned to the dressing rooms to make final preparations. In the stands, chants of “Mé-xi-co, Mé-xi-co” echoed throughout the stadium.
The players from both national teams were on the field warming up. Amid chants, laughter, concentration, and physical exercises with and without the ball, Mexico and South Korea prepared for what felt like a “final” in Group A.
Mexico’s players during the warmup before the match against South Korea.
Kim Seung-Gyu; Lee Han-Beom, Kim Min-Jae, Lee Gi-hyuk; Seol Young-woo, Hwang In-Beom, Paik Seung-Ho, Kim Moon-Hwan; Lee Kang-In, Heung-Min Son, and Lee Jae-Sung started for South Korea, with only one change from the opening match.
Head coach Javier Aguirre confirmed Mexico’s lineup with three changes from the opener: Raúl Rangel; Jorge Sánchez, Edson Álvarez, Johan Vásquez, Jesús Gallardo; Erik Lira; Luis Romo, Brian Gutiérrez; Roberto Alvarado, Raúl Jiménez, and Julián Quiñones.
Mexico’s squad arrived at Guadalajara Stadium amid tremendous excitement from local supporters. The players stepped off the team bus and soon headed onto the field. South Korea followed shortly afterward.
Following the draw between the Czech Republic and South Africa earlier in the day, victory in Thursday’s match became even more valuable. Because head-to-head results serve as the primary tiebreaker, whichever team won would secure first place in Group A, since only the losing side could still potentially catch them.
After losing their respective opening matches of the World Cup, the Czech Republic and South Africa drew 1-1 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta in the other Group A match.
South Korea trained in Guadalajara ahead of its match against Mexico on June 18.
South Korea’s projected lineup: Kim Seung-Gyu; Young-woo Seol, Lee Han-Beom, Kim Min-Jae, Gi-hyuk Lee, Lee Tae-seok; Hwang In-Beom, Paik Seung-Ho; Kang-In Lee, Son Heung-Min; and Oh Hyeon-Gyu or Lee Jae-Sung or Hwang Hee-Chan.
Mexico’s projected lineup: Raúl Rangel; Jorge Sánchez or Israel Reyes, Edson Álvarez, Johan Vásquez, Jesús Gallardo; Gilberto Mora or Brian Gutiérrez, Érik Lira, Álvaro Fidalgo or Mora; Roberto Alvarado, Julián Quiñones, and Raúl Jiménez.
Mexico faced South Korea at Chivas Stadium in Guadalajara in the second Group A match.
Following victories in their respective opening matches, this game had the potential to determine leadership of the group. A victory for either team would effectively secure advancement to the next stage.
South Korea could have secured qualification with a victory over Mexico.
The referee for the match was Uruguayan Gustavo Tejera, assisted by Carlos Barreiro Jara and Nicolás Tarán. Andrés José Rojas Noguera served as the fourth official. The VAR team consisted of Leodán Franklin González Cabrera and Antonio García.
This Group A second-round clash of the 2026 World Cup brought together two teams that displayed attacking ambition in their opening matches and scored two goals each.
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A drone flew over South Korea’s training session.
Espionage?
Technology applied to football to uncover secrets and invade an opponent’s privacy? The highly competitive atmosphere surrounding the 2026 World Cup produced an unexpected moment of tension at Guadalajara’s Chivas training facilities. Ahead of Thursday’s important match, South Korea’s training session was disrupted by an unidentified drone. The device flew over the practice field and was quickly detected and intercepted by Mexican security forces, which maintain strict surveillance protocols at all World Cup venues. Security sources confirmed to Reuters that the drone was neutralized because it lacked the required authorization to operate in restricted airspace.
Before the second round of the 2026 World Cup, Mexico and South Korea led Group A with three points each. Different qualification scenarios depended on Thursday’s result:
If either team won, it would qualify but not necessarily secure first place if the Czech Republic also defeated South Africa. With six points, qualification to the Round of 32 would be virtually guaranteed, but the group winner would still be decided in the final matchday. If they drew, qualification would remain undecided regardless of the earlier result.
Mexico returned to action on Thursday against South Korea at Guadalajara Stadium. The match was crucial for the host nation’s hopes of securing advancement before the final round of group matches, and a victory was required.
Mexico entered the match in first place in Group A with three points.
The group also included the Czech Republic and South Africa, whose earlier result directly affected qualification possibilities.
Both teams arrived with confidence after winning their opening matches. Mexico defeated South Africa 2-0, while South Korea beat the Czech Republic 2-1.
After defeating South Africa in its debut, Mexico sought to secure a place in the Round of 32.
The match between Mexico and South Korea was available live on DSports, TyC Sports, Paramount+, and Flow (Channel 109), beginning at 10:00 p.m. Argentina time.
Source: es-us.noticias.yahoo
