Mexico became the first team to qualify for the knockout stages of the World Cup after edging past South Korea in Guadalajara.
Luis Romo scored the only goal of a scrappy encounter five minutes into the second half as the tournament co-hosts made it two wins from two to secure qualification from Group A.
The first half was largely forgettable with neither side creating much going forward but the mood among the home supporters turned from frustration to delight five minutes after the restart with South Korea the architects of their own downfall.
Goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu came out to catch a partially cleared cross from the left but only succeeded in charging into the back of defender Lee Gi-hyuk, dropping the ball and enabling Romo to tap into the empty net.
South Korea came on strong in the latter stages in search of an equaliser but Mexico goalkeeper Raul Rangel made a fine save to keep out Cho Gue-sung’s close-range header and also deny Yang Hyun-jun’s follow-up.
Mexico to play at the Azteca in next round
The win means Mexico are guaranteed top spot in the pool and will play their round-of-32 game in Mexico City, as well as their round-of-16 game should they qualify.
Mexico coach Javier Aguirre, whose pragmatic approach continues to divide opinion, said: ”It was difficult. We know them very well. They put us under a lot of pressure. 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.”
South Korea are still in with a good chance of qualification themselves and a draw against South Africa on Wednesday night will likely be enough.
Coach Hong Myung-bo said: “We played just as we planned. The way we conceded was disappointing. We will give everything in the last game of the group stage. I asked the players to remain calm and play our game. It wasn’t bad. We kept our composure throughout the game. We will focus on preparing for the next game now.”
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