Mexico 1-0 South Korea
Mexico fittingly became the first nation to qualify for the knockout stage of the World Cup 2026 after the competition’s co-hosts notched a 1-0 win over South Korea in Zapopan. It was El Tricolor’s second consecutive win in this year’s quadrennial tournament, and they have two of their key players to thank for that.
After a drab first half, Mexico took the lead early in the second half, as Luis Romo capitalised on South Korea’s costly mistake at the back. From then on, the Taeguk Warriors pushed for an equaliser, but goalkeeper Raul “Tala” Rangel rebuffed them multiple times late in the game.
With six points in the bag, Mexico are probably looking ahead to what’s next. Meanwhile, South Korea remain in second place, as they have more points than the Czech Republic and South Africa, who shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw earlier today in Mexico City.
Here’s a recap of today’s World Cup 2026 highlights, courtesy of SBOTOP.
Highlights of the game
South Korea actually threatened to take the lead early, as they produced the game’s first big chance. In the 16th minute, Son Heung-Min lobbed the ball over the charging Raul Rangel. However, Edson Alvarez, who was reintroduced to the starting XI as a centre-back, cleared the ball off the goal line with a nifty bicycle kick. Four minutes later, it was Mexico’s chance to score, as Roberto Alvarado floated the ball into the penalty area. But goalkeeper Kim Seung-Gyu was there to parry Julian Quinones’ header away.
Fast forward to the second half, Mexico fired an early warning shot, as Jesus Gallardo found the side-netting from a tight angle before they made their breakthrough soon after. After Raul Jimenez’s header from Quinones’ cross was blocked, Kim Seung-Gyu spilled his catch after colliding with Lee Gi-Hyuk, allowing Luis Romo to strike into an undefended net. Jimenez went close to adding a second for Mexico, as he was found in the box by Quinones. But Kim Seung-Gyu was there to clean up Jimenez’s attempt from the right side.
South Korea struggled to create chances after going behind, but they had a golden opportunity for a leveller during the 87th minute. Cho Gue-Sung tried for a header after meeting a cross inside the box, but Rangel kept the ball out with his right foot as he fell to the ground. Yang Hyun-Jun came for a rebound, but Rangel somehow raised his right hand just enough to snatch the ball out of the air before it could cross the goal line.
Rangel’s effort is arguably the save of the tournament (so far), further validating Mexico’s decision to have him start as the No. 1 over Guillermo Ochoa.
Key statistics
Mexico have now won three World Cup games in a row after last night. Before their victories over South Africa (2-0) and South Korea (1-0) in this year’s edition, Mexico secured a 2-1 win over Saudi Arabia in their final Group C contest in 2022, narrowly missing out on the knockout stage since Poland had a superior goal difference.
Luis Romo became the second-oldest Mexican to score on his World Cup debut at 31 years and 13 days. He surpassed only Ricardo Pelaez, who also scored against South Korea in 1998 (35 years and 91 days). His goal against the Taeguk Warriors was the 13th all-time goal scored by a Guadalajara player at the World Cup.
Mexico’s defence deserves credit for not conceding in the first half in any of their last 13 World Cup contests since a 3-1 defeat to Argentina in 2010. But according to head coach Javier Aguirre, their anemic attack needs work, as they produced worse expected goals (xG) than South Korea (0.48 to 0.67).
What’s next?
In theory, Mexico could take it easy against the Czech Republic in their final Group A match in Mexico City on June 24, while South Korea will face South Africa in a crunch clash in Guadalupe a few hours later.
If Mexico beat Czechia, El Tricolor will finish the group stage with nine points, while Czechia will be stuck at one point. Javier Aguirre’s men only need a draw to seal the top spot, though. But if they lose, things could get complicated. A win for Czechia would give them four points, putting them second before the South Korea-South Africa match. By then, Miroslav Koubek’s men would hope that South Africa beat South Korea to take the second seed. However, the early World Cup 2026 odds suggest it’s unlikely to happen because South Korea are better than South Africa, at least on paper.
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