UNIPA News(ZAPOPAN) Mexico, June 18 — South Korea fell 1-0 to Mexico in their Group A match at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday, with a second-half defensive error proving decisive at Estadio Guadalajara in Zapopan.
The defeat leaves South Korea in second place in Group A with three points, while Mexico secured top spot in the group and became the first team to advance to the knockout stage with six points from two matches.
After a cautious opening half, South Korea enjoyed significant possession and controlled much of the midfield but failed to convert their opportunities. The Taegeuk Warriors were repeatedly caught offside, registering four such infractions before halftime.
Captain Son Heung-min came close to opening the scoring in the 16th minute after breaking through on goal, but defender Edson Alvarez produced a goal-line clearance to deny him. Mexico’s best first-half opportunity came in the 20th minute when goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu comfortably handled a header from Julian Quinones.
The decisive moment arrived five minutes into the second half. Goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu collided with defender Lee Gi-hyuk while attempting to claim a header from Raul Jimenez. The loose ball fell to Luis Romo, who calmly slotted into an empty net to give Mexico a 1-0 lead.
South Korea pushed for an equalizer late in the match after head coach Hong Myung-bo introduced attacking substitutes. Oh Hyeon-gyu narrowly missed connecting with a dangerous cross from Yang Hyun-jun in the 76th minute, although the move was later ruled offside.
The visitors came closest to scoring in the 87th minute when Mexico goalkeeper Raul Rangel produced consecutive saves to deny Cho Gue-sung’s header and Yang’s follow-up effort.
Both teams finished with eight shot attempts, though Mexico held a 4-2 advantage in shots on target.
Despite the defeat, South Korean players remained optimistic about their prospects of reaching the knockout phase. Midfielder Hwang In-beom said the team is in a stronger position than it was during the group stage at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
“We don’t need to do any number crunching. We just have to win or have a draw in the next match,” Hwang said. He added that while South Africa possess physicality and speed, South Korea can secure a positive result by focusing on its own game.
Hwang also highlighted the team’s control of possession but acknowledged shortcomings in attack.
“Once we seized control, our opponents got pretty frustrated and got mad at each other,” he said. “That’s a positive takeaway for us, but we weren’t able to create as many scoring chances as we’d have liked.”
Defender Kim Min-jae downplayed the costly defensive mistake that led to Mexico’s goal, saying individual errors are part of the game.
“Anyone can make a mistake over the course of a match,” Kim said. “We have to shrug it off and get ready for the next match.”
Playmaker Lee Kang-in also urged the team to move forward quickly following the setback.
“The match is already in the past and we can’t turn back the clock,” Lee said. “We have to keep playing better moving forward, so that we can keep advancing in the tournament.”
South Korea will advance to the round of 32 with either a win or a draw against South Africa in their final Group A match next Wednesday.
