Match Summary · Brazil · World Cup · Football · International · World Cup · Mexico · Korea Republic · Luis Romo · Cesar Montes
| Metric | Mexico | Korea Republic |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 43% | 57% |
| Shots | 8 | 8 |
| Shots on target | 4 | 2 |
| Shots off target | 3 | 3 |
| Corners | 0 | 2 |
| Fouls | 9 | 7 |
| Yellow cards | 0 | 2 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 |
| Offsides | 3 | 6 |
| Goalkeeper saves | 1 | 2 |
Mexico and Korea Republic began in World Cup group action with a tense opening spell, and Korea Republic’s Lee Kang-in went into the book inside four minutes. Chances were at a premium before the interval and the score remained 0-0 at the break.
The match turned early in the second half. At 49'42'', Luis Romo delivered the breakthrough to put Mexico 1-0 up, a lead they protected for the remainder of the contest.
Korea Republic responded with changes on 56'34'' and 56'44'', sending on Hwang Hee-chan and Oh Hyeon-gyu while Lee Jae-sung and Son Heung-min made way. A further yellow followed for Paik Seung-ho at 57'44'' as the tempo rose.
Both benches kept rolling: Mexico introduced Orbelin Pineda and Obed Vargas at 70'10'' and 70'15'', while Korea Republic answered with a double change at 70'31'' and 70'42''. Mexico later turned to Santiago Gimenez, Israel Reyes, and Cesar Huerta as they saw out the finish. In the end, the score and stats told a simple summary - Romo’s strike was enough.