Mexico Must Defeat South Korea to Top Group, Concerned About Physical Disadvantage

[Anchor]

Mexico, which must defeat South Korea to secure the top spot in the group, has also ramped up the intensity of its tactical training. In particular, head coach Aguirre has dedicated significant time to training for rough physical battles against our players.

Pyeon Gwanghyeon reports from Mexico City.

[Reporter]

Mora, Mexico's 17-year-old "top prospect," and Quiñones, the scorer of the opening goal against South Africa, take turns leaping to throw their bodies at a large ball.

Martinez, a 190cm tall striker, even engages in a "full-body offensive" against a coach.

The Mexican national team worked up a sweat today (June 15), focusing on physical contact and aerial duel training.

It appears they are wary of our national team, which dominated the aerial game against the "tall squad" of the Czech Republic, winning 27 aerial duels.

Mexico's average height is 179.5cm, which is 2.4cm shorter than ours. With 195cm tall defender Montes unable to play due to a red card in the opening match, concerns over their height disadvantage have grown.

[Aguirre / Head Coach of the Mexican National Football Team: Now we must prepare for the match against South Korea. We will do our best to win with a better performance.]

Mexican media and fans acknowledge that South Korea is a team with many strengths, including their physical condition, but they expect Mexico to win through the pragmatic football of their tactical mastermind, Coach Aguirre.

Aguirre, who is leading Mexico on the World Cup stage for the third time in his career following 2002 and 2010, has led the team to an unbeaten streak in their last 9 international matches with his signature "pragmatic football" based on teamwork, raising hopes for their first-ever semifinal appearance.

[Angel / Mexican Football Fan: Coach Aguirre brings the results that Mexican fans want. He also unites the team. Everyone likes him.]

Much like our atmosphere in 2002, Mexican fans are swept up in a festive mood and are passionately wishing for a victory.

(Video by Hwang In-seok | Video Editing by Ha Seong-won | Graphics by Kim Han-gil)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.