Even Mexican Fans Jeer: Outsmarted by 'Pragmatic Football'

[Anchor]

In today's (June 19) match, it was Mexico that came out on top by employing a defense-oriented, pragmatic style of football. Our national team brought in aggressive substitutions after conceding a goal and kept up the pressure until the very end, but ultimately could not break through Mexico's solid defense, which left no gaps.

Hong Seok-jun reports.

[Reporter]

Head coach Hong Myung-bo started the match with a different tactical approach than the first game to neutralize the opponent's strengths.

He chose to deploy Seol Young-woo, who is strong in joining the attack, on the left, and placed Kim Moon-hwan, who has strong defensive capabilities, as the right wing-back to block Mexico's main attacking route—their left flank, which corresponds to our right side.

However, Mexico's head coach Aguirre responded with a surprise tactical shift of his own.

Contrary to the first match, they significantly reduced the frequency of their high press and opted for a "zone defense," sitting back and protecting space.

As Mexico unexpectedly focused on defense, our team struggled, managing our first shot only toward the end of the first half and recording four offsides, the most in a first half of this tournament.

Even the Mexican fans jeered as their team failed to mount any significant attacks, uncharacteristic of a home side.

The national team sought to turn the tide after conceding a goal early in the second half due to a regrettable mistake.

We brought in several attackers and switched to a back-four formation to liven up the flank attacks, but we lacked that decisive final touch.

Despite having the edge in possession and total shots against the host nation, Mexico, our shots on target were only half of theirs.

On the other hand, Mexico secured the three points through "pragmatic football," running more and applying more defensive pressure than us, including bringing on extra defenders in the second half to lock down their back line.

[Aguirre/Mexico National Football Team Head Coach: We tried to maintain 'patience' when we didn't have possession of the ball. Eventually, South Korea couldn't find the space and started making mistakes themselves.]

Foreign media criticized the match, stating, "Both teams looked less tense and creative than in their first games," but the Mexican press highly evaluated the result, noting, "The efforts to coordinate the defensive line in preparation for the match against South Korea paid off."

(Video Editing: Ha Seong-won, Design: Jang Chae-woo)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.