MEXICO became the first nation to book a place in the World Cup knockouts with a 1-0 win over South Korea.
Luis Romo scored the decisive goal for the co-hosts after being gifted a chance by goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu.
Mexico became the first team to book their place in the World Cup knockouts Credit: AFP
A mistake from goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu gifted the co-hosts the winner Credit: Getty
Luis Romo capitalised on the error to score Credit: AFP
Mexico now need just one point to win Group A Credit: Reuters
The shot-stopper had attempted to catch a deflected header around 12 yards out from his net.
However, he collided with his own defender and spilled the ball straight into the path of Romo.
The midfielder was then able to pass the ball into the centre of the empty target just five minutes into the second half.
South Korea struggled to find a breakthrough, managing nine shots – two of which were on target.
Despite his earlier mistake, Kim pulled off an impressive save to stop from extending the lead with around 15 minutes left to play.
And in the late stages, Cho Gue-Sung and Yang Hyun-Jun both came close to an equaliser with back-to-back attempts.
Cho firstly directed a header at the target, which was saved by Raul Rangel and parried to Yang, who had made a run into the six-yard box.
The midfielder had attempted to deflect it into the net, but Rangel did well to pull off the double save before holding onto the ball.
Han-Beom Lee then found himself with a free header from a corner in added time, but directed his effort wide.
The result saw become the first team to book a place in the last-32 of the .
Should win Group L now, the two sides could eventually meet in the knockouts.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
I'm dedicated to creating high-quality content that informs, inspires, and delights. If you have any questions or suggestions, don't hesitate to get in touch. Happy reading!
