Raul Mexico got the late save that held up everything else. Raúl Rangel produced a double stop in the 88th minute against South Korea in Guadalajara, and Mexico kept its 1-0 win intact while moving through the group stage with the result it needed.
Rangel first blocked Cho Gue-Sung's header with his right foot as he dove to the ground. The ball then fell to Yang Hyun-Jun, and he got back to a seated position just in time to get a hand on the follow-up before it crossed the plane.
Rangel's 88th-minute rescue
The sequence came in Mexico's second match against South Korea and turned a narrow lead into a finished result. Estadio Akron broke out into another chorus after the save was replayed and the moment stood up.
Mexico had not conceded a single goal through three matches, yet Rangel still had to make the kind of stop that leaves no margin for hesitation. El Tri had allowed only two goals in all of 2026, but South Korea still found a clear look late enough to force the goalkeeper into a save on both the initial header and the rebound.
Mexico's group-stage edge
The win clinched Mexico's group outright for the first time since 2002. That put more weight on the result than a single clean sheet, because the group stage finished with Mexico unbeaten in goals conceded and with the top spot secured before the tournament moved on.
Rangel's path to that moment had already included a late change in Mexico's 3-0 rout of Czechia, when he subbed out to give Memo Ochoa his proper send-off. He was back on goal for El Tri against Ecuador on Tuesday night, and the timing of the South Korea save gave Mexico one more sharp answer before the delay around the Mexico-Ecuador game continued once weather allowed.
Javier Aguirre in Jalisco
After the match, Javier Aguirre thanked the fans in Jalisco. He said, "Congratulations to the fans here in Jalisco," and added, "They've treated us since we got here in a fantastic way, and today you saw the passion of the people." He also called it, "The push it gives you."
For Mexico, the practical takeaway is simple: the margin stayed at 1-0 because Rangel made two stops in one sequence, and the group title was secured without a goal allowed in the decisive stretch. A goalkeeper can shape a tournament with one touch, and in Guadalajara he needed two.
