Guadalajara delivered the drama, and Luis Romo delivered the goal. Mexico became the first team to lock in a spot in the World Cup knockout rounds on Friday, grinding out a 1-0 win over South Korea that was uglier than the scoreline suggests.
Romo cleaned up a gift in the 50th minute. South Korean keeper Kim Seung Gyu collided with his own defender Lee Gi Hyuk inside the box, spilling a loose ball straight to Romo, who tapped it into an empty net. That was all Mexico needed.
The first half was a slog. Neither team generated much of anything. Mexico managed just three shots before halftime, and the crowd at Estadio Akron had to wait through 45 minutes of cautious, pressured soccer before anything worth remembering happened.
South Korea nearly pulled level late. Cho Gue Sung got his head on a cross inside the box in the 87th minute, but Mexico keeper Raul Rangel made a sharp save. Yang Hyun Jun pounced on the rebound and Rangel somehow got across to deny him again. A double save that kept Mexico’s lead intact and sent the home fans into a frenzy.
Javier Aguirre, Mexico’s coach, didn’t sugarcoat the performance. “It was difficult. We know them very well. They put us under a lot of pressure,” he told FIFA.com after the match. “They didn’t give us any space, and neither did we. In the end, it felt like one mistake was always going to make the difference one way or the other. It wasn’t a great match, and the opposition didn’t allow us to do much.”
Hong Myung Bo, South Korea’s coach, saw his team stick to the game plan despite the loss. “We played just as we planned. The way we conceded was disappointing. We will give everything in the last game of the group stage,” he said. “I asked the players to remain calm and play our game. It wasn’t bad. We kept our composure throughout the game.”
South Korea is not done yet. They face South Africa in their final group match Wednesday, and a draw would almost certainly push them through to the knockout phase. Mexico, meanwhile, finishes on top of Group A. That means a home-soil knockout game in the round of 32, and another one in the round of 16 if they keep winning.
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