Mexico Faces Defensive Gap, But Vows to "Defeat South Korea and Top the Group"

[Anchor]

The second match between South Korea and Mexico is effectively a battle for the top spot in the group. Mexico's head coach, Aguirre, is working hard to devise a plan to fill the void left by their "key defender" Montes, who was sent off in yesterday's (June 12) match.

We go to Pyeon Gwanghyeon in Mexico City for more.

[Reporter]

After a strong start with a 2-0 victory against South Africa, Mexico has begun preparations for the match against South Korea at their state-of-the-art training facility, which underwent a 34 billion won renovation ahead of this tournament.

Like our team, the players appeared generally upbeat, focusing on light movement and recovery.

Mexico is expected to focus its remaining time before the match against South Korea on how to fill the gap left by their "defensive core," Montes.

The top candidate to replace him is the team captain and utility player Alvarez, but his lack of match fitness—having played almost no games exceeding 60 minutes in the last five months due to injuries—remains a point of concern.

[Rodolfo / Fox News Reporter: The absence of Montes will certainly be felt. He has played alongside his center-back partner, Vasquez, since they were 10 years old, so they had great chemistry.]

Nevertheless, Coach Aguirre remains confident, determined to secure a victory and uphold the pride of the host nation.

[Aguirre / Mexico National Football Team Head Coach: For us, the stage of the World Cup is truly overwhelming. The moment the players see the countless fans on the streets, they cannot help but be in awe.]

Local fans have high expectations for Quinones, a former top scorer in the Saudi league who netted the opening goal in the first match.

[Adolfo Barragan / Mexico Football Fan: Quinones is a player who even plays against Ronaldo in the Saudi Pro League. So, he should certainly be able to score against South Korea, right?]

Here in Mexico, you can see crowds enjoying the World Cup wherever you go.

If they finish first in Group A, they will play their Round of 32 match at the 87,000-seat stadium in Mexico City. Mexican fans are preparing for passionate cheering, hoping to defeat South Korea and keep the festival alive on home soil.

Reported by Pyeon Gwanghyeon | Video by Hwang In-seok | Video Editing by Nam Il
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.