World Cup Comments Mexico beat South Korea 1-0 to secure first place in Group A of the 2026 World Cup By Mauro Tognacca Updated on June 18, 2026 Follow us on Google! © David Ramos/Getty Images Romo put his team ahead The time came for some teams to get back on the field at the 2026 World Cup , as Group A returned to action with Mexico and South Korea looking to seal their tickets to the next round in a match that finished 1-0, with a goal that sealed Mexico as the group winner. In the first half, imprecisions were everywhere from both teams. For some time Mexico controlled the ball, with South Korea just covering spaces, which then occurred the other way around as they went into halftime tied 0-0 . It was a match in which only mistakes could turn into a goal. This occurred precisely in favor of Mexico on a high ball that looked easy for the South Korea goalkeeper, but he crashed into a teammate and dropped the ball into Luis Romo’s area , leaving him with only a simple finish into the net. Mexico could then hang on to the advantage to get the victory. Advertisement Advertisement 10:56PM Full time 90+6' The referee blows the final whistle. The match is over! 10:53PM Chance for Kim Min-jae 90+1' A corner kick from the left for South Korea, but Kim Min-jae's header goes wide. 10:53PM Chance for Cho Gue-sung 90+3' A cross comes in from the left, and Cho Gue-sung gets a header on it, but it deflects off a defender and goes out for a corner. 10:52PM Stoppage Time 90' Six minutes of added time. 10:49PM Chance for Cho Gue-sung 87' A dangerous cross comes in from the left, but Cho Gue-sung can't get a clean header on it, and the goalkeeper makes the save. Advertisement Advertisement 10:46PM Chance for Vargas 84' A shot from Vargas is brilliantly saved by the goalkeeper. 10:45PM Substitution for Mexico 83' César Huerta comes on for Julián Quiñones. 10:42PM Double substitution for Mexico 80' Santiago Giménez comes on for Raúl Jiménez, and Roberto Alvarado replaces Israel Reyes. 10:36PM Chance for Jimenez 74' A lofted pass over the top finds Jiménez, who controls it and fires across goal, but the goalkeeper makes a great save. 10:33PM Play resumes 71' Play resumes. The ball is rolling again. Advertisement Advertisement 10:32PM Double substitution for Mexico 70' Mexico make a double substitution: Luis Romo comes off for Obed Vargas, and Brian Gutiérrez is replaced by Orbelín Pineda. 10:30PM Hydration break 68' The referee calls for a hydration break. Both teams head to the sidelines to hydrate. 10:20PM Yellow card for Paik Seung-ho 58' Yellow card for South Korea's Paik Seung-ho (8). 10:19PM Double substitution for South Korea 57' South Korea make a double substitution: Son Heung-min comes off for Hwang Hee-chan, and Lee Jae-sung is replaced by Oh Hyeon-gyu. 10:11PM GOAAAAAL! Romo scores after goalkeeper error 49' A massive mistake from the South Korea goalkeeper on a high ball, colliding with a teammate, leaves the ball on a plate for Romo who taps it in for a goal. Advertisement Advertisement 10:09PM Gallardo fires wide 48' Mexico advance well with Gallardo on the left, who enters the penalty area and shoots left-footed at the near post, but it goes wide. 10:06PM Second half begins The second half begins. 09:49PM Halftime 45+4' The first half comes to an end. 09:45PM Added time 45' Four minutes of added time. 09:43PM South Korea dominance 43' South Korea has been dominating possession for several minutes while Mexico sits back and waits. Advertisement Advertisement 09:40PM Jeong Woo-yeong missed opportunity 40' Through ball for South Korea's Jeong Woo-yeong, but he runs out of angle and fires a poor left-footed shot wide from the left. 09:36PM South Korea dominance 36' Possession now belongs to South Korea. 09:34PM Both teams struggling 34' Misplaced passes and inaccuracies abound from both teams in the first half, making it difficult to generate any real action. 09:31PM Group leadership secured 31' The winner of the match wins the group, regardless of what happens in the final fixture. 09:26PM Match resumes 26' The match resumes. Advertisement Advertisement 09:23PM Hydration break 23' The match stops for a hydration break for both Mexico and South Korea. 09:19PM Quiñones dangerous header 19' Cross from the right by Roberto Alvarado for a header by Julian Quiñones, but the South Korean goalkeeper makes a great save to deny Mexico. 09:15PM Son disallowed chance 15' Long pass for South Korea's Son Heungmin who lofts it over the goalkeeper but Edson Alvarez clears it with a bicycle kick when it was going in; the play was disallowed for offside. 09:11PM Mexico high press 11' South Korea tries to build up from the back but Mexico presses well and forces them to play long. 09:07PM Gutierrez weak shot 7' A good combination on the left leaves the ball to Brian Gutierrez who fires from long range for Mexico but it goes weakly into the goalkeeper's hands. Advertisement Advertisement 09:06PM Alvarado long-range shot 6' Roberto A