Mexico beat South Korea to clinch first place in Group A - ESPN

GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Mexico took advantage of a defensive blunder by South Korea to win 1-0 on Thursday night and become the first team to advance to the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup.

It marks a major triumph for Mexico, which failed to get out of the group stage in 2022 and now has won twice on home soil in front of jubilant crowds. Mexico will also now play at least its next two games, and possibly three, in its home country.

Luis Romo scored in the 50th minute after South Korea goalkeeper Kim Seung-Gyu collided with defender Lee Gi-Hyuk and dropped the ball inside the area. Romo easily found the open net after picking up the loose ball and volleying into an open net.

«We've been doing very well,» Mexico coach Javier Aguirre said. «It wasn't a great match, but I think that our opponent didn't let us do too much. But we still were able to score, on that mistake, in addition to another two or three opportunities.»

The South Koreans nearly equalized in the 87th minute when Mexico goalkeeper Raúl Rangel stopped a header from close range by Cho Gue-Sung, then made an even better save on the rebound, extending his right arm to keep the ball from crossing the line.

Mexico has six points from two Group A matches, three more than South Korea and five more than the Czechia and South Africa, who drew 1-1 earlier Thursday in Atlanta. That means Mexico has clinched first in the group with a game against Czechia to spare.

The top two teams from each group move on to the knockout stage, along with the best eight third-place teams. A round of 32 is being played for the first time at the World Cup after the tournament was expanded to 48 teams.

Mexico had never won a World Cup game on home soil outside Mexico City. Before 2026,