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Mexico defeated South Korea 1-0 this Thursday at the and became the first team in Group A to secure its place in the Round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, with six points and a perfect record after two matches.
The match was evenly contested in the first half, with the Koreans dominating possession (57% to Mexico's 43%), but they failed to clearly threaten goalkeeper Raúl «Tala» Rangel.
The only goal came in the 50th minute and was born from a glaring mistake in the Asian defense: goalkeeper Kim Seung-Gyu attempted to go for an aerial ball, was obstructed by his own defender Lee Gi-Hyuk, and left the goal completely unprotected. Luis Romo didn’t miss the opportunity and tapped the ball in with his right foot to open the scoring.
Romo was the offensive hero, but Rangel responded on the other end with a save that prevented the Korean equalizer, which TUDN described as "the save of the World Cup."
South Korea tried to respond and made four substitutions between the 57th and 77th minutes, including the departure of Son Heung-Min —their most recognized player— without being able to make an impact. Mexico also adjusted their lineup: Raúl Jiménez was replaced by Santiago Giménez in the 80th minute, and Romo himself was substituted in the 71st minute after fulfilling his role.
Regarding the statistics, Mexico generated more real danger: eight shots with four on target, compared to seven shots and only two on target for the Koreans. South Korea received two yellow cards—Lee Kang-In in the fourth minute and Paik Seung-Ho in the 58th—while the Mexican team finished the match with no bookings.
With this result, Mexico has accumulated six points and comfortably leads the group. South Korea is left with three points, while the Czech Republic and South Africa share the bottom of the table with one point each after drawing 1-1 in the second round.
The victory reinforces the historical streak of the Mexican team against Korean teams in World Cups: they had already defeated them in France 1998 (3-1) and in Russia 2018 (2-1). Mexico had kicked off the tournament with a 2-0 victory over South Africa at the Estadio Azteca on June 11, a match in which Julián Quiñones scored the first goal of the 2026 World Cup.
The third and final match of Mexico in the group stage will take place on June 24, when the already qualified team will seek to finish the first round as the leader of Group A.
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