Mexico met the expectations with a 2-1 victory over South Korea in the opening game of the Matchday 2 in Group F, as El Tri was a clear -143 favorite to win this clash. We saw a quite interesting game that went in the over of the total of 2.5 goals at +100 after plenty of scoring chances on both sides of the pitch.
Game Recap
Mexico started aggressively, pressuring their rivals all over the field, while South Korea was happy to sit back and wait for some chances through counter-attacks, but it was clear that Mexico is a better side than the Taegeuk Warriors. After a few dangerous attacks, Mexico found the opener from the penalty kick in the 26th minute, retaining the lead until the interval, as the odds on El Tri to win the first half were +130. There were a couple of opportunities on the other side, but Korea’s best player Son Heung-Min couldn’t find the net, so it stayed under 1.5 goals in the first 45 minutes at -275.
Mexico doubled the lead in the 66th minute of the game when Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez scored his 50th goal for the national team. El Tri had a few more chances to make it three, but the Mexicans failed to cover the spread at -1.5 with the wages at +200 as South Korea scored in the injury time to sadden the bettors who wagered on the spread. However, it certainly gladdens those who wagered on both teams to score at -111 or the bettors who bet on the over 2.5 goals at +100.
In the end, Mexico had the ball in the possession for 58% of the time, taking 13 shots on goal, five on target. South Korea took 17 shots toward Mexico’s keeper, as six went on target, but they weren’t good enough today to endanger the Mexicans and eventually pull out a draw at +290.
With two defeats from the first two encounters, South Korea is almost eliminated from the 2018 World Cup, meeting the defending champions Germany in their final match of the group stage as a massive +1400 out-of-towner to win the clash. Mexico will face Sweden as a slight +160 favorite, while the odds on El Tri to reach the World Cup Final are at +1400, according to BetDSI Sportsbook. The Mexicans have been eliminated in the Round of 16 in the last six appearances at the World Cup, and the wages on them to make it to the last eight in Russia are +200.
