Mexico defeated South Korea 1-0 on Thursday (June 18) in Guadalajara, becoming the first team to advance to the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The match took place at Estadio Akron, where a packed crowd witnessed a crucial victory for El Tri.
The game’s only goal came in the 50th minute when Luis Romo capitalized on a mistake by South Korea’s goalkeeper Kim Seung-Gyu. Kim collided with a defender and dropped the ball, allowing Romo to score into an open net. USA Today reported that despite a slow start and boos from the crowd at halftime, Mexico managed to secure the win.
South Korea almost equalized late in the game, but Mexico’s goalkeeper Raúl Rangel made a crucial save in the 87th minute, stopping a close-range header from Cho Gue-Sung and a follow-up attempt by Lee Gi-Hyuk. WSBTV highlighted that this victory marks a significant achievement for Mexico, which failed to advance past the group stage in 2022.
With this win, Mexico leads Group A with six points, three more than South Korea, and five more than Czechia and South Africa, who drew earlier in the day. Mexico will play its final group match against Czechia in Mexico City, while South Korea faces South Africa in Monterrey.
Mexico’s coach Javier Aguirre expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance, stating, “We’ve been doing very well. It wasn’t a great match, but our opponent didn’t let us do too much.” South Korea’s coach Hong Myung-Bo acknowledged the mistake that led to Mexico’s goal but remained optimistic about their next match.
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