Mexico 1 – 0 Korea Rep

Mexico became the first nation to secure a place in the World Cup round of 32 and could thank a Seung-Gyu Kim goalkeeping error as they were beaten 1-0 by South Korea in Guadalajara.

In a thrilling Group A encounter, the two goalkeepers decided to play with two contrasting experiences. Kim deflected a Raul Jimenez header into the path of Luis Romo, who lifted the ball past the red-faced shotstopper.

Late on, at the other end, with South Korea chasing, Raul Rangel’s double save to deny a second-half substitute, Gue-Sung Cho doubled Mexico’s lead to three points.

With maximum points after their first win over South Africa, Mexico are now in control of Group A and are in a good position to secure the top spot. The first will ensure they play their Round of 32 match in Mexico City. Javier Aguirre’s side could face England in the round of 16 if both nations can win their groups and progress to their first knockout games.

South Korea, who generated a shot on target either side of half-time, can still qualify for the knockout stages but need to beat South Africa to ensure smooth progress. Mexico is followed by the Czech Republic.

More to follow…

Highlights from Mexico City…

• 16: Brilliant goal line clearance! Alvarez acrobatically parries away a lob attempt by Heung-min Son.

• 20: Save! Alvarado curls into the area with a brilliant ball. It finds Quinones, who manages to head his marker towards goal but is stopped by Kim.

• 50: Goal! Seung-gyu dropped Kim Jimenez’s header and gifted Romo and Mexico a goal.

• 77: Off! Hyun-Jun Yang and Hyun-Gyu Oh combined brilliantly to almost equalize but the former was too high on the ball in the area.

• 87: HUGE OPPORTUNITY!! Rangel denied Gui-Sung Cho with a pair of crucial double saves.

• 90+4: Vazquez gets through to deny Gwe-Sung Cho’s effort on Rangel’s goal. This is superbly timed defending. South Korea is pushing back, but is it too late?

What does the result mean?

Aguirre’s reaction to tough test in South Korea

Mexico head coach Javier Aguirre:

“It was tough. We know them very well. They put us under a lot of pressure. They didn’t give us any space, and we didn’t. 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 opponent didn’t let us do much”.

Hong Myung-bo: We will give everything in the final group game

South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo:

“We played as planned. The way we conceded is disappointing. We will give everything in the last game of the group stage.”

“I told the players to stay calm and play our game. It wasn’t bad. We kept our composure throughout the game. We will now focus on preparing for the next match.”

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