Korea showed up at the Rostov Arena, ready to take on this exciting Mexican team that saw off Germany in a shocking result last week. They were decided in their quest to deny the Mexicans space and time to break into their groove from the get-go.
Moon Seon-Min, Lee Jae-Sung, Hwang Hee-Chan and Son did not give the Mexican defenders a moment’s peace to pick out a pass and get the counter going. But Osorio’s men more than proved that they are equal to the task.
Despite the heavy press that was limiting space on the field and time on the ball, Mexico still managed to pass their way out from the back and create a few chances of their own. But the most important thing was that they remained resolute at the back and at times, they even took the game to their Asian opponents to ensure that they came out of the initial energy surge unscathed.
Once they were done negotiating with the buzzing Korea Republic players in the first 20 minutes or so, the game was theirs for the taking and they grabbed it by the scruff of its neck.