Goalkeeper Raúl Rangel’s elite play and South Korea’s mistake help Mexico advance
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GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Three and a half years after its biggest failure on the World Cup stage in half a century, the Mexican national team needed only two games to advance to the knockout round of this tournament as winner of Group A.
Mexico’s defense held off a spirited final push by South Korea, earning a 1-0 win on Thursday night at Guadalajara Stadium in front of a fiery, announced sold-out crowd of 45,522.
“It was a very tough game,” Mexico coach Javier Aguirre said.
South Korea goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu made a mistake in the 50th minute, failing to stop what appeared to be a simple cross and bobbling the ball. That allowed Mexico’s Luis Romo to easily tap the ball into the net.
“In the end, a mistake was going to tip the scales,” Aguirre said.
“You always want to be there; I felt it, and I got the chance,” said Romo, who started after coming off the bench in the opener — a strategic change by the Mexican coach that paid off.
South Korea put pressure on Mexico throughout the game. Late in the scoreless first half, Lee Jae-sung came close to giving South Korea the lead. Aguirre hoped his team would shake off nerves following an emotional opening win over South Africa at Azteca Stadium and show more bite, but Mexico didn’t have much power behind its attack during the first 45 minutes.
The crowd in Guadalajara grew frustrated and began booing the home team’s performance at the end of the first half.
Mexico, however, won back the fans’ cheers when it capitalized on South Korea’s costly mistake.
Obed Vargas replaced Romo in the 71st minute and was close to scoring a spectacular goal if not for Seung-gyu’s save.
El Tri earned a win without any more goals thanks in part to a great night by goalkeeper Raúl Rangel, who stopped a header by Cho Gue-sung in the 87th minute. Captain Edson Álvarez helped turn away South Korea’s attack late, holding up relatively well despite having left ankle surgery during the last year.
“It was just a reflex,” said Rangel, whose club team Chivas plays at Guadalajara Stadium. “I was very focused and stepped up when the team needed me, and I’m happy about that.”
LAFC star and South Korea captain Son Heung-min fired one shot over Mexico’s goalkeeper in the first half, but Álvarez cleared it off the line before the referee ruled Son was offsides.
In a match marked by three red cards, Mexico discovered it can be an attacking threat while winning the World Cup opener against South Africa at Azteca Stadium.
South Korea controlled possession 58% of the time but earned only two shots on target.
“It wasn’t a good game because they didn’t let us do much,” Aguirre said.
Mexico was coming off a comfortable 2-0 victory, while the South Koreans had defeated Czechia 2-1, their first World Cup-opening win since 2010.
During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Mexico was eliminated in the group stage for the first time since 1978, breaking a streak of eight consecutive appearances in the knockout rounds. However, playing on home soil, the team’s goal is to emulate El Tri’s achievements in 1970 and 1986, when it reached the quarterfinals — the country’s best World Cup finishes.
Due to the new 48-team format, Mexico would need to win two knockout-round matches and reach a sixth game to realize its goals.
“We’re taking it one step at a time; first, there’s the third game,” Romo said.
Mexico will close out group play against Czechia at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City on Wednesday. El Tri will play its first game of the knockout round — and its second, should it win the first — at Azteca Stadium, where it never has lost a World Cup game.
South Korea has four points and will be favored when it plays South Africa on Wednesday in Monterrey, Mexico. If South Korea wins, it would be the Group A runner-up and advance to play the Group B runner-up on June 28 at SoFi Stadium.
“We want all nine points,” Vargas said of Mexico’s goal.
