GUADALAJARA — Mexico became the first team to secure a place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 knockout stage after defeating South Korea 1-0 on Thursday, capitalizing on a costly defensive error to maintain its perfect start in Group A.
Luis Romo scored the decisive goal in the 50th minute after South Korea goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu collided with defender Lee Gi-hyuk and spilled the ball inside the penalty area. Romo reacted quickest to slot into the empty net and hand Mexico a second consecutive victory on home soil.
The result sparked celebrations across Mexico as El Tri moved to six points from two matches, guaranteeing qualification for the round of 32 in the expanded 48-team tournament.
Mexico goalkeeper Raúl Rangel preserved the lead with a stunning double save in the 87th minute. He first denied Cho Gue-sung’s close-range header before stretching out his right arm to stop Yang Hyun-jun’s rebound attempt on the goal line.
“It was very quick, it was pure reaction,” Rangel said. “I couldn’t really tell you what I saw.”
Mexico tops Group A with six points, three ahead of South Korea, while Czechia and South Africa each have one point following their 1-1 draw earlier in the day.
“We’ve been doing very well,” Mexico coach Javier Aguirre said. “It wasn’t a great match, but our opponent didn’t let us do too much. We still managed to score and create other opportunities.”
Mexico opened the tournament with a 2-0 victory over South Africa and has yet to concede a goal.
The match struggled to come to life in the opening half, with both sides failing to create clear chances and drawing boos from supporters at halftime.
South Korea pushed for an equalizer late on but could not find a breakthrough. Captain Son Heung-min endured another frustrating outing and was substituted in the 57th minute.
“The mistake that we made was unfortunate,” South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo said.
Mexico will conclude its group-stage campaign against Czechia in Mexico City on Wednesday, while South Korea faces South Africa needing a positive result to strengthen its hopes of advancing.
Source: Saudi Gazette