Mexico faces South Korea today down in Guadalajara in a match that has high implications for the fate of the group. Mexico will be forced to make changes to their lineup after a red card in their game against South Africa. Both teams will look for a win but more importantly, they will look for dominance after a less than stellar performance in their World Cup debuts.
Mexico defeated South Africa 2-0 in their World Cup opener and it was a game full of chaos. There were three red cards in 90 minutes,
a feat that had yet to occur in the tournament. While Mexico won by two goals, it was not a dominant performance as it should have been. They had the advantage of playing at home and being up by two players yet they struggled against their opponent. In the closing minutes it seemed as if South Africa had roared back to life as Mexico was pinned to their half. They were lucky this surge occurred near the end of the game when it was all but won. Now they face an opponent who will not be as forgiving.
South Korea started their World Cup journey with a 2-1 comeback win against Czechia. Korea was the strongest of the two nations but they lacked the finishing to completely dominate the game. In the first half they had many opportunities to score but they were unable to finish those chances. They had eight shots at goal in the first half but none of them made it into the back of the net. Meanwhile Czechia only had two shots. All these missed chances came to bite Korea in the behind when Czechia took the lead in the 59th minute. This seemed to wake up the Koreans who came back to level the game eight minutes later. They then took the lead in the 80th minute. While Czechia did fall behind it wasn’t from lack of opportunities as they had five shots at goal with four of them being on target. This time they were the ones that were unable to finish their chances. While Korea did win the game, they were not as dominant as expected so there should be no surprise if they come out full force in their second game against Mexico.
A lot of pressure is on Mexico tonight as they need to win against South Korea to not only secure the top of the group but also prove themselves this World Cup. While they have a good chance to win tonight, don’t expect a high scoring game from this team. Javier Aguirre’s team can grind out a win but there won’t be a lot of goals as his teams aren’t known to score high quantities of goals. As seen in past games, if Mexico scores they will then drop back down to defend the score and they won’t push forward as much as they did before they scored. South Korea will not be as forgiving as they were in the first game but Mexico should be able to grind out all three points. While it will be a stressful game to watch, just know that fans from both sides will be enjoying the game, regardless of the score. As seen on social media, fans from South Korea have been enjoying their time in Mexico and Mexico has welcomed Koreans in with open arms. Just go online and watch the videos, they’ll warm your heart. This unity is what the World Cup is all about.
Enjoy the games Mexico fans!
