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South Korea vs Mexico |
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2018 FIFA World Cup, Match 28, Group F, June 24 - fulltime |
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Rostov Arena, Rostov, Russia | ||
South Korea | Mexico | |
1 | SCORE | 2 |
17 | Shots | 13 |
7 | Corners | 5 |
4 | Yellow Cards | 0 |
0 | Red Cards | 0 |
Mexico have temporarily moved to the top of Group F at the FIFA World Cup with a dominant performance resulting in a 2-1 win over South Korea.
The South Koreans struggled to get into the contest early, and while they were physical in defence, the strategy didn’t work for them as they gave away a staggering 24 free kicks during the contest.
While they didn’t pay off the free kicks, they did elsewhere, not being able to hang onto the ball or control where the game was played.
The second loss in a row means South Korea are now virtually out of the World Cup with no chance of recovery.
This is the first time Mexico has won back-to-back games at the World Cup since 2002, with the side looking confident and in-form as the tournament rolls on.
Final score
South Korea 1
Mexico 2
South Korea, after being dominated in their opening World Cup match must find a way to win against Mexico if they want to qualify for the knockout stages. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 1am (AEST).
South Korea began their tournament on the worst possible note, surrendering the game they were most likely to get a result in.
A difficult Group F presented them the challenge of world No.1 Germany, Mexico and Sweden. The Swedes appeared the team they were most likely to beat, but alas, they struggled to control the game.
While the statistics will indicate South Korea had 44 per cent possession, there was far too much of it at the wrong end of the field. They struggled to break down the Sweden defence, only firing five across the entire 90 minutes with none of them on target.
Key men up front Kim Shin-wook and Son Heung-min simply couldn’t find the space to work it and it showed, with Sweden applying the pressure time and time again to ensure they took the three points with a 1-0 win.
Mexico, on the other hand, stunned the world as they picked up a 1-0 victory over defending champions and the top-ranked nation in Germany.
The Central American nation were always expected to get out of the group stage in second place, but with three points in that game, there is now a very real chance they will manage to finish first – and as long as Brazil finish first in Group E, that’ll be a godsend for the Round of 16.
Their win over Germany came with a mountain of hard work. They only had 33 per cent possession, but managed to man up well in defence during what was a fast and free-flowing contest.
The goal, scored by Hirving Loranzo turned out to be enough for Mexico to hold on for 55 minutes. They will be able to press further forward this time though and attempt to secure their stop in the knockout stages, with an obvious skill and talent advantage over South Korea.
The sides have played on ten previous occasions with Mexico leading the ledger 5-4 to go with a single draw. The last of those saw a friendly win 4-0 in 2014 for the Mexicans. Their only previous World Cup game was in 1998 as the Central American nation won 3-1.
Prediction
The Koreans will be under the pump, but barely stand a chance of controlling their Central American opponents. Mexico could run rampant here.
South Korea 0 – Mexico 3.
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