Mexico beat South Korea 1-0, become first team to reach World Cup knockouts

Luis Romo’s 50th-minute extremity sent Mexico into the circular of 32, which they volition play connected location soil, too.

FIFA World Cup 2026 cohosts Mexico became the archetypal squad to scope the knockout rounds with a 1-0 triumph implicit South Korea astatine a delirious Guadalajara Stadium connected Thursday.

Luis Romo’s extremity conscionable aft half-time enactment Mexico done arsenic Group A winners with a lucifer to go, pursuing a goalkeeping clanger.

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Mexico stopper Raul Rangel, meanwhile, made a superb treble prevention successful the dying minutes to sphere their lead.

Finishing apical keeps Mexico astatine location successful the past 32 with a crippled against a third-placed squad successful Mexico City. South Korea are 2nd connected 3 points, with Czechia and South Africa besides inactive live connected one.

“It was a precise adjacent game; we didn’t springiness up a azygous centimetre and fought for each shot arsenic if it were our last,” Mexico caput manager Javier Aguirre told Mexican broadcaster TV Azteca.

“It was a crippled wherever whoever made a mistake would lose, and it was them… It was a crippled to forget, but ‌the effect is 1 to remember.

“We’ll spot however the past lucifer plays retired and hold for our hostile [in the circular of 32]. I’m leaving happy, due to the fact that it means we’re not leaving home, our beloved Mexico,” helium added.

Mexico’s players airs for a representation up of the lucifer [Ulises Ruiz/AFP]

Mexico and South Korea went into the clash successful beforehand of a passionate Mexican crowd, knowing that triumph would warrant advancement successful double-quick time.

Aguirre made 3 changes from the broadside that beat South Africa 2-0 a week agone to unfastened the tournament.

His counterpart, Myung-Bo Hong, made conscionable 1 alteration, mostly keeping religion with the squad that fought backmost to defeat Czechia 2-1.

South Korea skipper Son Heungmin had the archetypal sniff astatine extremity aft 15 minutes, looping the shot implicit Rangel, lone for Edson Alvarez to forestall it from going successful with a bicycle footwear connected the line.

Los Angeles FC attacker Son was belatedly flagged for offside, though replays suggested it was a adjacent call.

Julian Quinones, who scored the opening extremity of the tournament, past forced South Korea goalkeeper Kim Seunggyu into a bully prevention from a header, raising the decibels.

Mexico fans observe aft the lucifer [Paul Childs/Reuters]

The remainder of an uneventful fractional belonged to South Korea arsenic they stroked the shot astir astatine will, without ever creating a wide chance, but they did win successful silencing the location support.

Jeers rang retired astatine half-time from the Mexico fans.

The hosts started the 2nd play with acold much intent, and 5 minutes in, they went up erstwhile goalkeeper Kim came for a precocious shot and clattered into his ain player, spilling it consecutive to Romo.

Romo conscionable needed to poke the shot archetypal clip into an unguarded net, triggering pandemonium.

Hong amazingly hauled disconnected the seasoned talisman Son earlier the hr and threw connected Hwang Heechan of Wolverhampton Wanderers.

But the Koreans were mostly toothless going guardant until the last fewer minutes, erstwhile Guadalajara autochthonal Rangel came to Mexico’s rescue.

Mexico volition look Czechia successful their dead-rubber last radical game, portion South Korea play South Africa. South Africa and the Czechs drew 1-1 earlier successful the day.

Mexico fans astatine Seoul International Park successful the Koreatown neighbourhood of Los Angeles cheer aft their squad qualified for the knockouts [Etienne Laurent/AFP]