MUNDIAL·26

First Stage · Group A · Friday, June 19 · Guadalajara Stadium, Guadalajara · 45,522 in the stands

kickoff 19:00 local · 21°C · 80% humidity · altitude 1,560 m

Mexico

50′ Luis ROMO (pen)

1:0

Korea Republic

tap a player for their match file

Mexico4-3-3
Korea Republic3-4-2-1
Raul RANGEL7.4Jorge SANCHEZ6.4Edson ALVAREZ7.3Johan VASQUEZ7.1Jesus GALLARDO6.7Erik LIRA6.2Luis ROMO8.0Brian GUTIERREZ6.8Raul JIMENEZ6.3Julian QUINONES7.2Roberto ALVARADO6.8KIM Seunggyu5.5LEE Hanbeom6.2KIM Minjae6.6KIM Moonhwan6.5SEOL Youngwoo6.1LEE Gihyuk5.6HWANG Inbeom6.4PAIK Seungho6.3LEE Jaesung6.4LEE Kangin6.9SON Heungmin6.4
from the bench

match pulse — xG per 5 minutes · goals · cards

45′90′MEXKOR

goals — hover the strip for every shot and card, with names

  • 50′Romo0.07 xG
MEX 0:0 KOR0'kickoff
7' Alvarado — xG 0.02 · Missed7' Gutierrez — xG 0.02 · Missed20' Quinones — xG 0.06 · Saved41' Young-woo — xG 0.09 · Missed44' Kang-in — xG 0.02 · Blocked49' Gallardo — xG 0.05 · Missed50' Jimenez — xG 0.06 · Blocked50' Romo — xG 0.07 · Goal58' Hwang Inbeom — xG 0.03 · Blocked75' Jimenez — xG 0.22 · Saved78' Kang-in — xG 0.02 · Missed85' Vargas — xG 0.02 · Saved87' Gue-Sung — xG 0.44 · Saved87' Hyun-jun — xG 0.26 · Saved90 + 2' Han-beom — xG 0.07 · Missed90 + 4' Gue-Sung — xG 0.05 · Blocked90 + 4' Hyeon-Gyu — xG 0.03 · Missed

▶ Watch every shot in 3D⟲ Replay the match

The xG race — cumulative expected goals, minute by minute

MEX 0:0 KOR
0.51.00′15′30′45′60′75′90′50' Romo — GOAL0.521.01

On paper vs as played — formation sheet vs heatmap reality

MEX 4-3-3 attack →, ← KOR 3-4-2-1 attack. The teamsheet, as announced.

1Raul RANGELRaul RANGEL2Jorge SANCHEZJorge SANCHEZ4Edson ALVAREZEdson ALVAREZ5Johan VASQUEZJohan VASQUEZ23Jesus GALLARDOJesus GALLARDO6Erik LIRAErik LIRA7Luis ROMOLuis ROMO26Brian GUTIERREZBrian GUTIERREZ9Raul JIMENEZRaul JIMENEZ16Julian QUINONESJulian QUINONES25Roberto ALVARADORoberto ALVARADO1KIM SeunggyuKIM Seunggyu2LEE HanbeomLEE Hanbeom4KIM MinjaeKIM Minjae15KIM MoonhwanKIM Moonhwan22SEOL YoungwooSEOL Youngwoo3LEE GihyukLEE Gihyuk6HWANG InbeomHWANG Inbeom8PAIK SeunghoPAIK Seungho10LEE JaesungLEE Jaesung19LEE KanginLEE Kangin7SON HeungminSON Heungmin

The duel — team data, FIFA tracking included

41%
Possession
52%
0.34
Expected goals
0.87
42
Threat
58
8
Shots
9
4
On target
2
360
Passes completed
510
46
Forced turnovers
48
14.4s
Ball recovery time
17.6s
3.71
High-press phases
10.79
7
Fouls committed
9
3
Offsides
6
117 km
Distance covered
112 km
33.2 km/h
Top speed
34.4 km/h

Territory — where each team lived

Every player's heatmap, minutes-weighted and stacked per team. Mexico attack →, ← Korea Republic attack. Brighter is more presence; where the colors meet is the contested ground.

How it happened

  1. 4′LEE Kangin (Korea Republic) is booked by the referee.
  2. 50′Luis ROMO (Mexico) scores!!
  3. 57′HWANG Heechan (in) comes off the bench to replace LEE Jaesung (out) (Korea Republic)
  4. 57′OH Hyeongyu (in) comes off the bench to replace SON Heungmin (out) (Korea Republic)
  5. 58′PAIK Seungho (Korea Republic) is booked by the referee.
  6. 71′Obed VARGAS (in) comes off the bench to replace Luis ROMO (out) (Mexico)
  7. 71′Orbelin PINEDA (in) comes off the bench to replace Brian GUTIERREZ (out) (Mexico)
  8. 71′EOM Jisung (in) comes off the bench to replace KIM Moonhwan (out) (Korea Republic)
  9. 71′YANG Hyunjun (in) comes off the bench to replace SEOL Youngwoo (out) (Korea Republic)
  10. 77′CHO Guesung (in) comes off the bench to replace PAIK Seungho (out) (Korea Republic)
  11. 80′Santiago GIMENEZ (in) comes off the bench to replace Raul JIMENEZ (out) (Mexico)
  12. 80′Israel REYES (in) comes off the bench to replace Roberto ALVARADO (out) (Mexico)
  13. 84′Cesar HUERTA (in) comes off the bench to replace Julian QUINONES (out) (Mexico)

The morning-after column · AI-written from the match data

One Chance Was Enough

Mexico invited Korea to dominate. The visitors controlled 52 per cent and pressed relentlessly—10.8 high-press phases to Mexico's three—but the home team's compact 4-3-3 kept them at arm's length for nearly an hour. In the 50th minute, Mexico struck from nowhere: a low-quality chance (0.07 xG) finished with efficiency. Korea would press harder still after conceding, but Mexico's defense, now defending a lead, tightened further.

Korea's narrative was written in missed chances. They created 0.87 xG to Mexico's 0.34, but twice in the 87th minute—chances worth 0.44 and 0.26 xG respectively—they failed to find the net. Luis Romo (8.0 rating) controlled the tempo for Mexico; Edson Alvarez (7.3) suffocated the midfield. Lee Kang-in's runs found no end product; Hwang Hee-Chan pressed without reward. Mexico squandered their own chance on 75 minutes (0.22 xG), but Korea's late profligacy was the difference.

Mexico's 0.07-xG goal proved more valuable than Korea's 0.87-xG creation: possession without precision is merely an elaborate way to lose.

50′

Mexico's low-xG chance (0.07) finished ruthlessly. Korea's pressing intensified, but they never recovered the thread.

What Mexico needed

Made one chance sing; survived Korea's late orchestra.

  • Luis Romo (8.0) orchestrated from midfield; Edson Alvarez (7.3) sealed the space. Defensive discipline beat Korea's 10.8 press phases.
  • Converted low-quality chance (0.07 xG) ruthlessly. Against Korea's 0.87 xG, clinical finishing won the game.
  • Two 87' Korea chances (0.44 + 0.26 xG) both saved. Mexico's nerve held when Korea's chances mounted.

What Korea Republic needed

Possessed the game; lacked the edge where it mattered.

  • 10.8 high-press phases forced 46 turnovers but slow recovery (17.6s vs Mexico's 14.4s) meant transitions lacked tempo. Speed after pressing wins.
  • Generated 0.87 xG but scored zero; Korea's two 87' misses (0.44 + 0.26 xG) were the deciding waste.
  • Lee Kang-in (6.9) and Hwang Hee-Chan (6.7) pressed hard but lacked final-third incision. Better precision in 3-4-2-1 changes everything.