Raul “Tala” Rangel produced arguably the save of the tournament during Mexico’s 1-0 victory against South Korea to clinch the top spot in Group A, marking the first time they topped a World Cup group since the 2002 edition of the soccer tournament.

During the 88th minute, a cross found South Korea’s Cho Gue-Sung alone in the box, and the forward tried to head the ball in for the equaliser. However, Rangel kept the ball out with his right foot as he fell to the ground. Yang Hyun-Jun came for a rebound, but the Guadalajara native somehow raised his right hand just enough to snatch the ball out of the air before it could cross the goal line.

Rangel’s intervention sealed the deal for Mexico, which went ahead earlier in the match when Luis Romo scored off a mistake from South Korea goalkeeper Kim Seung-Gyu.

“Raul Rangel, I think he is a hero right now with the double save. Initially, it was a really good service from South Korea, but Rangel was on point,” former Mexican player Janelly Farias stated on CBS. “That’s what makes a keeper great at this level. He did exactly what he needed to do.”

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Mexico head coach Javier Aguirre gets brutally honest on ‘ugly’ performance against South Korea

Despite clinching their Round of 32 spot, Mexico head coach Javier Aguirre was not fully satisfied with their performance. To Aguirre’s point, El Tricolor produced a worse expected goals (xG) than the Taeguk Warriors (0.48 to 0.67).

“It was a very close game; we ​didn’t give up a single centimeter and fought for every ball as if it were our last,” Aguirre told reporters. “It was a game where whoever made a mistake would lose, and it was them… It ​was a game to forget, but the result is one to remember.”

“We’ve been doing very well. It wasn’t a great match, but I think that our opponent didn’t let us do too much. But we still were able to score on that mistake, in addition to another two or three opportunities,” he continued.

For two decades, Mexico have relied on Guillermo Ochoa as their last line of defense. But on Thursday night, and probably for the rest of the World Cup 2026, Raul Rangel is their de facto starting No. 1, relegating Ochoa to the bench.