liveUpdated 10s agoMexico have become the first team to win both of their first two matches at this World Cup.The Athletic Live TeamJune 19, 2026 at 12:41 AM EDTRaul Rangel made a brilliant late double save to maintain Mexico's lead. ReutersMexico 1-0 South Korea — resultMexico have booked their place in the 2026 World Cup knockouts by beating South Korea in Guadalajara.After a drab — and goalless — first half, Luis Romo profited from an error made by Korean goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu and finished nicely into an empty net.Goalkeeper Raul Rangel secured the win for Mexico in the 87th minute as he made a wonderful double save to keep out Cho Gue-sung and Yang Hyun-jun.Mexico are the first team to have won both of their first two matches and are into the round of 32.Join the Discuss tab or email us: live@theathletic.comAguirre: 'We are in a good place'Javier Aguirre highlighted the confidence gained by his goalkeeper Raul “Tala” Rangel playing at Estadio Akron, saying he is pleased with his shot-stopper’s performance and overall attitude.“Tala is at home, he is happy, and I am happy with him. We are all happy,” the national team coach said in an interview with TV Azteca after the match against South Korea.He also reflected on the tight nature of the game, adding: “We know each other very well, both teams. We pressed each other a lot and one mistake could have made the difference either way. We are in a good place. It wasn’t a great game, but we are fine.”Next up for Mexico Getty Images Mexico head back to Estadio Azteca where they will be the designated visiting side against Czech Republic — but we all know on what side the supporters there will be in Mexico City! That match will take placeGiven that Mexico have already wrapped up Group A, expect heavy rotations from Javier Aguirre’s side as he now has the comfort of looking ahead to the Round of 32 (also at Estadio Azteca).That match will kick off at 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday night.Next up for South Korea Getty Images Suddenly, South Korea still have all to play for against South Africa. A draw would give them four points and probably see them through to the Round of 32. A win definitely would.And they will be favoured over South Africa. But it should not be a given. A draw, and four points already, would have eased the pressure on South Korea.But playing for one backfired spectacularly on Myung-Bo Hong’s side.A word for woeful South Korea Getty Images For whatever reason, I had so far managed to avoid this tournament’s duds. I think I was in bed for the Ghana-Panama snooze-fest and I was chasing the Ivory Coast team up and down I-95 when Portugal and DR Congo were stinking the joint out.But I was wide awake and locked in for this one… and I guess I had one coming.Let’s do the positives first. Mexico’s away strip is magnificent. I might actually buy one. Guadalajara’s stadium looked nice. Owen Hargreaves is a good co-commentator on the United States commentary. Erm… that’s it.OK, Mexico won, so they won’t care. But South Korea… what was that?This is their 11th consecutive World Cup appearance, they were unbeaten in qualifying and they have lots of decent players. Lee Kang-in has played more than 120 games for Paris Saint-Germain over the past three seasons. I realise he is not a starter in Paris, but they are the best team on the planet.South Korea’s first shot on goal did not come until the 88th minute. Their second came a second later. But that was pretty much that. Loads of possession, lots of neat passing but no crosses, no dribbles and no corners until the 92nd minute.For most of the game, it looked like they were playing a possession drill. It was like they were hoping for a point for every fifth pass completed.Son Heung-min got hooked after 56 minutes, which suggests he played badly. He did not play well, but I am not sure why he was singled out.This was a poor game but South Korea were particularly disappointing, even if they had that late, late chance to draw. They made the semi-finals on home soil in 2002 but have not been beyond the round of 16 since then. They will do very well to get that far on tonight’s evidence.Romo gets his revenge Getty Images Luis Romo was perhaps slightly unfortunate that his words to TV Azteca were taken the way they were, but in the pre-match build-up, his perceived lack of fire struck a chord across Mexico.💬 “No, it’s not like we don’t care, but we’re not 100 per cent like ‘Ay, we have to win, we have to win! We have to live the game, we have to prepare ourselves well, we need to improve our performance. Of course we want victory but we can’t oblige ourselves or put pressure on ourselves.”Accurate, maybe. But compared to the fire of midfield partner Erik Lira — top quote: “I raised my hand so (the coach) knows I’m another soldier ready for war” — it was taken as a lack of commitment.But Romo is a player who knows what that word means more than most — a player who worked full-time as an oyster fisherman after being released from the Cruz Azul academy. Elevated to the starting XI against South Korea, he was the quickest to react to Kim Seung-gyu’s blunder right at the start of the second half — tapping the loose ball home to send the Estadio Akron into raptures.Without labouring the point, that goal had something of his past written all over it. Ugly at face value, a pearl within.Did the save of the tournament rescue Mexico?Not one, not two, but three. South Korea were in the last chance saloon of Mexico’s Ranch Country, firing a last-gasp cross towards goal in their attempts to equalise.Rushing in on goal, Cho directed his header well, low and powerfully onto the goalline of the near post. Chivas goalkeeper Raul Rangel, playing in front of his home fans at the Estadio Akron, somehow threw himself down to save it — only for the ball to rebound, looping, back towards the net.Sat on his backside, players sprinting in, Rangel was the calmest man in the stadium; the one still point amid the madness. His right arm prevented a certain goal — before somehow catching the ball while riding a thump from the onrushing Oh Hyeon-gyu.Raul Rangel gets his World Cup moment Getty Images Outside of die-hard El Tri supporters, Raul Rangel entered this World Cup mainly known as... not Guillermo Ochoa.“Memo,” the legendary Mexico keeper with some incredible World Cup moments to his name, is on Javier Aguirre’s squad, but the 26-year-old Rangel is Javier Aguirre’s preferred choice to the 40-year-old Ochoa.Tonight, Rangel showed why — and incredible double (or triple, depending on how you look at it) save to stamp his name in Mexican World Cup lore — and in the place, Guadalajara, where he plays his club football, no less!Your views on that matchUnderstandably, some mixed reactions to that match from the Mexico fans over on our match discussion tab...Not one that will live long in the memory OptaAs several of my colleagues have said, that was not a classic.If you needed some additional data to confirm that, well, here you go.Meet Pato Merlin, the World Cup's unofficial mascotHere is a tale that has gripped Mexico. Meet Merlín: a two-year-old Pekin duck who has become the unofficial mascot of this World Cup. Kitted out in a Mexico shirt — natty collar and tiny socks included — Merlín shot to fame waddling alongside his family as they sold bottled water on the streets of Mexico City, and by the time El Tri's opening win was being feted at the Ángel de la Independencia, he was a fully fledged national sensation: memes, songs, the lot, shared even by the national team itself. This week, in full Paul the Octopus mode, he was invited onto a TV programme to predict tonight's result — and pecked decisively at the Mexican flag. FIFA duly installed him as guest of honour at the Zócalo Fan Fest. As the win was sealed, up popped Merlín — animated via AI and beaming — in FOX's victory graphic on the US broadcast. From a Mexico City pavement to American television in the space of a fortnight, the little duck is an institution now.History for MexicoA couple more nuggets from Duncan Alexander: This is the first time ever where Mexico have won three straight World Cup games, if we go back to their win over Saudi Arabia in their 2022 group-stage finale (both teams were eliminated in group play).This is also the first time where Mexico have become the first team to advance to the knock-out stage of a World Cup.Mexico yet to lose to an Asian side in the World CupMexico have won all six of their matches against Asian opposition in the FIFA World Cups. However, this is only the second time they kept a clean sheet against those teams, both on home soil, after the 1-0 win against Iraq in 1986.Mexico’s formula takes shape ReutersWhat did we learn from this Mexico side that beat South Korea? Mainly, that Javier Aguirre has found a formula that is starting to take shape. The Quiñones–Jimenez partnership is proving effective in attack, offering movement, depth and a constant threat in the final third.In midfield, Luis Romo continues to look like a useful tactical piece, capable of adding balance and even an element of surprise going forward, while Edson Alvarez provides the kind of defensive authority and decisive interventions that anchor the team.At the back, Raul Rangel played his part in preserving the lead, producing a brilliant double save to deny Cho Gue-sung and Yang Hyun-jun at a crucial moment. Mexico looks notably stronger at home, and that advantage is proving difficult to ignore under Aguirre, with momentum clearly building in familiar surroundings.Mexico's potential knockout-stage opponents The AthleticJudging by The Athletic’s projected knockout-stage bracket, the three most likely teams to face Mexico in the Round of 32 in Mexico City are: Ecuador, Scotland and Cape Verde.Despite the struggles Javier Aguirre’s side showed tonight, El Tri should be favoured against any of those teams, or any other third-place team they face in Estadio Azteca.Looking (maybe a bit too far) ahead, though, is where things get juicy. England are in firm control of Group L after their win over Croatia, and if they do win the group, they will also be heavily favoured in their Round of 32 match in Atlanta.That sets up a delectable Round of 16 game, in Estadio Azteca, between Mexico and England.Of course, a lot of football still left to play between now and 5 July.Silver lining for South KoreaSouth Korea still in great shape to advance, according to The Athletic’s World Cup forecast.They have an 89 per cent chance of advancing as either a second- or third-place team out of Group A. If they win over South Africa in their Group A finale, they will finish second in the group on six points.Group A live forecast Projected group finish 1st2nd3rd+inOut Mexico55%30%14%2% South Korea35%47%10%8% Czech Rep.10%20%44%26% South Africa<1%4%6%90% As of June 18 at 1:26 p.m. Eastern. The AthleticUnsurprisingly, a match of this nature does not have the most eye-popping stats.In fact, colleague Duncan Alexander tells me that this had the lowest combined xG of any World Cup match so far.Ugly, but worked GettyNobody will be making a highlight reel of this one, and for an hour the Akron let its frustration be heard. Mexico were cautious, ponderous in possession and short on the attacking verve their home support craves — the very traits Aguirre says he wants to shed. And yet: a goal, a clean sheet, three points and Group A win. For a nation that has not reached a World Cup quarter-final since the last time they hosted in 1986, results and a settled defence are no small foundation. The football must improve if El Tri are to go deep — but winning ugly is still winning, and tonight that is all that mattered.Player of the Match: Edson Alvarez Getty Images Restored to the side, Mexico captain Edson Alvarez answered the call with a display of pure authority. His acrobatic clearance off the line to deny Son was one of the moments of the match — offside flag or no, defending of the highest order — but it was his command of Mexico's high line, springing the offside trap again and again, that underpinned the clean sheet.On a night of few heroes, the returning midfielder-turned-defensive-anchor was Mexico's rock.An appropriate victory song for a big win ReutersAs the 1-0 win was sealed, the Akron rose as one for "El Rey," the ranchera anthem immortalised by Vicente Fernández, the city's own and the undisputed king of the genre. There could be no more fitting soundtrack. Chente was a son of Guadalajara, and his ranch south of the city, Los Tres Potrillos, has long been a place of pilgrimage — its souvenir shop as essential a stop for many visitors as the cathedral or the mariachi squares. On a night when the football rarely soared, the singing did. In the most Mexican of cities, El Tri got their win — and their anthem.