Mexico entered this tournament with little confidence surrounding its manager, the Colombian Juan Carlos Osorio. Despite his winning record, many fans and former players did not see him as the one who could finally lead the Mexicans past the round of 16, something the team hasn’t done since 1994.
But in the second half of Mexico’s 2-1 win over South Korea on Saturday, the sea of green-clad fans in Rostov-on-Don were chanting “Profe Osorio!” as his team continued to outplay its opponent for the second straight match. Mexico dominated the match from the start, holding the vast majority of possession as South Korea was forced to chase and hope for a counter.