Sweden dished out a stunning performance to register 3-0 victory over Mexico and top Group F with six points on a basis of better goal difference. Both Sweden and Mexico advanced into round of 16 while defending champions Germany suffered a heartbreak as they were knocked out of the tournament after going down 0-2 to South Korea in the second Group F match.Four minutes of injury time addedMexico's Miguel Layun is booked after Toivonen gets injured from his elbow.Hernandez had a chance, he smacks a ball from the left side of the box but the ball gets a deflection from Carlos Vela's header.Hiljemark comes off the bench to replace Ekdal for Sweden.Mexico get the free kick outside Sweden penalty. Carlos Vela takes it and his left-footed kick hits the wall.Edson Alvarez's own goal hands Sweden 3-0 lead.Mexico's Fabian takes the free kick on the right and Javier Hernandez collects it into the penalty area, goes for the header but the ball sails over the bar.Jesus Gallardo makes way for Marco Fabian for Mexico.Kiese Thelin replaces Marcus Berg for Sweden.Andreas Granqvist converts the penalty to make it 2-0 for Sweden. He fires the ball into the top left-hand corner and Ochoa was unable to reach there.Sweden awarded the penalty after Hector Moreno slides into Marcus Berg.Sebastian Larsson is being stretchered off the field. Svensson comes in to replace him.Ludwig Augustinsson scores to give Sweden 1-0 lead against Mexico. Keeper Ochoa fails to stop Augustinsson left-footed volley into the right corner.Second half gets underway with Mexico kicking off the proceedings.Mexico 0-0 SwedenTwo minutes of injury time addedVictor Lindelof takes the free kick with his right foot inside the Mexico half. He aims for Toivonen but the ball goes for a goal-kick.Carlos Vela fires a shot from inside the box but his effort goes high over the bar.Mexico on the attack. Hernandez manages to tackle Sweden defence and enters the penalty box but Emil Forsberg is alert enough to deny him.Sweden miss the opportunity. Berg's header is saved by keeper Guillermo Ochoa. He tips the ball over the bar.Ball seems to have hit the arm of Javier Hernandez from a Lindelof free-kick. Referee goes to VAR. And no penalty for Sweden.Sebastian Larsson gets yellow card for a tackle on Lozano. It means, he will serve the one-match ban and miss the next game if Sweden reach round of 16.Mexico keeper Guillermo Ochoa catches the ball comfortably after Marcus Berg takes a shot from the left flank.Sweden win a free-kick after was Forsberg brought down by Alvarez.Sweden skipper Granqvist gives a foul as he tries to catch Hernandez on the head.Mexico had the shot on target. Ola Toivonen gives the ball away in midfield, Hirving Lozano forwards it to Carlos Vela, who unleashes a left-foot shot from the edge of the penalty area but his effort goes wide of the far post.Corner for Sweden. Skipper Granqvist takes it and Swedish striker collects the pass brilliantly in the box and goes for a header where his teammate tries a bicycle kick but it goes wide of the target.Emil Forsberg takes the free kick from the edge of the box. His shot goes on target, Mexico keeper Ochoa leaps high to clear the ball.Sweden awarded a free-kick on the left-hand side of the Mexico penalty area after goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa misjudges and handles the ball outside the area.Sweden get the free kick. Seb Larsson takes it and sends the ball into the penalty area but Mexico defence avoid the early danger.Mexico's Jesus Gallardo shown the yellow card in just 15 seconds for a foul on Ola Toivonen.Referee blows the whistle with Sweden taking the opening kick.Players are out on the field and it's time for national anthem at Ekaterinburg Arena.Mexico and Sweden named unchanged teams for Wednesday's Group F match in Yekaterinburg, which the Scandinavians probably need to win in order to make the last 16.Javier Hernandez will again lead the attack for Mexico, while Sweden will play with Marcus Berg and Ola Toivonen - who scored in the 2-1 defeat by Germany - up front.With six points already, Mexico need no more than a draw to be sure of going through, but coach Juan Carlos Osorio said on Tuesday his team would stick to the attacking style that has served it well so far.Sweden are level with Germany on three points, but the Germans are favourites to beat last-placed South Korea in the second Group F match, taking place simultaneously in Kazan.Guillermo Ochoa, Carlos Salcedo, Hector Moreno, Hector Herrera, Edson Alvarez, Miguel Layun, Andres Guardado (capt), Jesus Gallardo, Carlos Vela, Javier Hernandez, Hirving LozanoRobin Olsen, Mikael Lustig, Victor Lindelof, Andreas Granqvist (capt), Ludwig Augustinsson, Viktor Claesson, Albin Ekdal, Sebastian Larsson, Emil Forsberg, Marcus Berg, Ola ToivonenHello and welcome to the live coverage of the 2018 FIFA World Cup Group F match between Mexico and Sweden at Ekaterinburg Arena.
After a dizzying win over Germany in the opener, some had El Tri going far in the World Cup. But familiar problems have resurfaced
Before you play a fifth game, you have to get to a fourth game. Ideally, then, you don’t want to implode in your third game …
For six successive World Cups, Mexico have been eliminated in the last 16, and now, thanks to South Korea, they will get a chance at reaching the quarter-finals, something that has become a holy grail in Mexican football. They did their best to get in their own way however, and by the time they collapsed to the turf against Sweden they were truly grateful that their own calamitous meltdown had been matched by an even more bizarre one from the reigning world champions, Germany.
Of all the scenarios going into Mexico’s final group game, the most unthinkable one was that El Tri would capitulate, having lit up the tournament so far, and yet still advance to the knockout stages courtesy of Germany losing to South Korea. This was an epic Great Escape.
A history of Mexican crises: how El Tri rival England for self-inflicted pain Read more
Yet once the Mexican fans who deliriously celebrated the news of South Korea’s late goals calm down, they will be left wondering how Juan Carlos Osorio is going to lift a team whose confidence had evaporated so quickly.
It’s no secret that Osorio has been a polarizing figure as Mexico coach, chiefly for the professorial tinkering that occasionally seems to outstrip his team’s ability to comprehend his arcane planning. Yet the first two games of the tournament, in which Mexico stunned Germany with blistering counters, then efficiently dispatched South Korea, had done much to erase any lingering memories of the 7-0 Copa América collapse against Chile in 2016.
Ironically, Osorio had deviated from his usual instincts against Sweden, in resisting the urge to tinker with his line-up. In the first half the team appeared to have weathered Sweden’s onslaught, only for an unkind deflection, a penalty and an own goal to utterly dismantle them by the end of the second.
By the end of the game, Mexico looked bedraggled. The swashbuckling counters that had been the hallmark of their opening games had turned utterly ragged, and many of their players had resorted to fouling in frustration at Sweden’s physical control of the match.
Edson Álvarez was perhaps the most dramatic illustration of the malaise. He had come into the game relishing his coach’s faith in him after his introduction to the team to face South Korea. He left in tears – a poor performance capped with an own goal and culpability in Sweden’s opener.
Other players saw their stock settle back to more realistic levels. Hirving ‘Chucky’ Lozano had burst on to the global stage with his goal against Germany, and has spent much of the last week being linked to ever more unlikely suitors. Against Sweden, he looked like what he is: an exciting talent with a deal still to learn about decision making.
Carlos Vela’s curling shots looked less like a potent weapon than a solitary trick for solid defenses to figure out and negate. Javier Hernández got into his usual positions but never looked like scoring. Indeed, his most notable contribution to the game was a suspect touch in his own box that led to a VAR review for a possible handball.
Any team can have an off day, but the luck conferred by South Korea can’t wholly cancel out the precipitous collective drop in confidence the Mexico team seemed to endure on Wednesday. Thus far in the tournament Osorio’s meticulousness had bred swelling confidence among his players, as they bought in to the idea that he understood his team and their opponents better than anybody. At his best, Osorio creates an impression of being a master mechanic. But when the wheels come off like this, the fine-tuning of the engine is kind of moot.
Mexico, like England, has a strong tabloid culture when it comes to its football. Osorio will be glad to be removed from some of the frothing despair this performance is sure to generate. But he and his players will be acutely aware that the mood back home will have shifted dramatically from the type of conversations speculating well beyond the fifth game. Anxiety is now the watchword once again.
The test for Osorio now is largely psychological. Can he rebuild the team’s confidence around the idea that this was an aberrant result? Can his players recreate the free-flowing counter attacks that brought them success against Germany and South Korea? Or, as against Sweden, will they collapse into anxiety when the pressure is on in the knockout stages, joining a long line of Mexican teams who have flattered to deceive?
“Lesson learned” said Lozano after the game. For Mexico’s sake, let’s hope so.
CLOSE SportsPulse: USA TODAY Sports' Martin Rogers puts into perspective Germany's epic collapse and Mexico's chances in the round of 16. USA TODAY Sports
Germany's Toni Kroos durin gthe loss against Korea. (Photo: Tim Groothuis, Witters Sport-USA TODAY Sports)
MOSCOW — Mexico survived a nail-biting scare to advance to the World Cup’s round of 16 as defending champion Germany was stunningly dumped out of the tournament on Wednesday.
With Mexico falling 3-0 behind to Sweden in Yekaterinburg it was left with no choice but to hope that the Germans failed to win their game against South Korea, being played simultaneously in Kazan.
Despite a late onslaught, Germany could not find a breakthrough. Instead, it ended up flipping to a remarkable 2-0 defeat thanks to an injury-time goal from Kim Young-Gwon that was reviewed by VAR, followed by a goal on an open net from Son Heung-Min.
The loss capped off Germany's most disappointing campaign of recent times and continuing the mythical “curse of the World Cup champion.” Four of the last five winners of the previous tournament have now crashed out in the group stage the next time around.
Mexico was the only team to have won both of its opening games yet still be faced with a realistic chance of being knocked out, and the pressure showed.
Goals for Ludwig Augustinsson and Andreas Granqvist put Sweden no course for the result it needed to guarantee itself a place in the round of 16 and put Mexico in peril, and an Edson Alvarez own goal after 74 minutes took Mexico’s fate out of its own hands.
With Sweden having topped the group, Mexico will now face the winner of Group E – Brazil is the favorite – in the second round. Mexico has lost in the round of 16 in each of the past six World Cups. Sweden will meet the runner-up Group E, to be decided later on Wednesday.
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Sweden will need to beat top of the group Mexico in order to guarantee their place in the round of 16. Mexico already have their place confirmed in the knockout stage of the tournament.
The Swedes are coming into this game after having suffered a defeat against a 10-man Germany side. They conceded a late goal from a Toni Kroos free-kick five minutes into injury time.
Mexico have seen a string of success in the competition so far. They upset the defending champions in the group opener and went on to win over bottom of the group South Korea.
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Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the climax of Group F. It promises to be a wild afternoon of action with everything up for grabs for Germany, Mexico and Sweden. Don't sleep on South Korea having a say either. We will have all the latest from Ekaterinburg and Kazan right here so don't touch that dial. Thanks to Toni Kroos' last-gasp wondergoal on Saturday evening there's plenty on the line this afternoon. All four Group F teams can make it through to the knockout phase with the very real possibility that three of them could finish on six points. Confused? Well here's Mark Critchley to walk you through what you have to look forward to. How Toni Kroos bent Group F out of shape and wide open With back-to-back victories to open the World Cup, including one over defending champions Germany, Mexico's national team has already been anointed by some back home as the best in the country's history.
If Mexico beat Sweden today it would win its group with a perfect record, something it has never achieved in its long World Cup history.
It's exactly the kind of big dreams that Javier Hernandez was criticized for prior to the tournament when he said winning this year's World Cup was a possibility.
On Tuesday in advance of El Tri's final Group F match against Sweden, he doubled down.
"The best thing to do with dreams is to share them with people who are dreamers," he said. "We are brave enough not only to dream, but to work on those dreams so that we can make them true." The team news is in from Ekaterinburg. It's very much as expected from both where Javier Hernandez leads the line for El Tri and Ola Toivonen, fresh from his goal against Germany, does the same for the Swedes. Germany will be without Sebastian Rudy against South Korea as the holding midfielder is still not fit after breaking his nose in the dramatic victory over Sweden. After losing their Group F opener to Mexico, the world champions revived their campaign with a last-gasp victory over Sweden and now need to beat the Koreans by at least two clear goals to guarantee progress to the last 16. With centre back Jerome Boateng suspended after being sent off against the Swedes, Joachim Loew said he was down to 18 players for the match at the Kazan Arena. "With Sebastian Rudy, it's two or three days too early for him," he said. "He nose is broken in several places and he couldn't play even with a mask (but) Mats Hummels is able to play tomorrow, he's trained for the last two days." Team news now from Kazan where Mesut Ozil returns for Germany. Bayern Munich's Niklas Sule is in for the suspended Jerome Boateng while he's joined in the centre of defence by Mats Hummels. Leon Goretzka is in alongside Sami Khedira with Ozil in for Thomas Muller. A surprise. Five changes all in all for the Germans. Interesting. With just under an hour to go until kick off for the concluding games of Group F, it's still quite possible that we could see three countries draw level on 6-points each. Mexico already have 6-points but a loss to Sweden today would see the European side equal them. A win for Germany over South Korea would mean they to move up to 6-points and that could lead to a three-way tie on points. Goal difference could be the key to qualifying from this group so expect nothing to be left on the pitch today. Germany have had a tough time of it so far in this World Cup, losing their first game to Mexico and needing Toni Kroos to rescue them with a last minute goal against Sweden. With goals required again today, who's going to be the match winner for the Germans? The teams have arrived in Ekaterinburg, a win for Mexico would send them through with three wins from three, the first time they will have done so in their history The German fans are ready in Kazan who knows what this game holds for them, and us? Not to be outdone though, this lone South Korea fan has no qualms in flying the flag for his country! The teams are out on the pitch in both Kazan and Ekaterinburg, after the anthems they'll have 90 minutes to decide, who's going through and who's going home! KICK OFF: SOUTH KOREA 0 - 0 GERMANY Germany get things underway put South Korea put them under pressure early on, Lee Jae-Sung does well on the right wing catching the ball before it goes out, he passes it back to Lee Yong whose cross doesn't find anyone! 4 mins: MEXICO 0 - 0 SWEDEN Sweden get a free kick from the left hand side of Mexico's area, the referee ruling that Ochoa handled the ball outside his box, Forsberg takes the shot but Ochoa punches it out 7 mins: SOUTH KOREA 0 - 0 GERMANY Yellow card for Jung Woo-Young, he dives in needlessly on Hector and gives away a free kick on the half way line 9 mins: MEXICO 0 - 0 SWEDEN Good pressing from Mexico, Javier Hernandez starts the run with a glorious turn in the middle of the field but Sweden get men back behind the ball, Mexico switch the play and Layun finds space but his shot is weak and it dribbles wide of goal 11 mins: MEXICO 0 - 0 SWEDEN The ball comes in from a corner from Sweden, Granqvist wins the header and knocks it forward to Berg, who attempts an overhead kick, but he finds the side netting 15 mins: SOUTH KOREA 0 - 0 GERMANY Germany play a short corner, but they eventually get the ball into the box, it skims the head of Sule and Goretzka can't reach it before, Cho Hgun-Woo claims it. 16 mins: MEXICO 0 - 0 SWEDEN Great chance for Mexico to go one up, Sweden give the ball away and it comes to Lozano who lays it off to Vela, he puts it on his left foot and tries to curl it around Granqvist but it's just wide of goal 19 mins: SOUTH KOREA 0 - 0 GERMANY Jung Woo-Young takes a free kick for Korea, he's about 25 yards out and he drills it at Neuer, who drops it and Son Heung-Min is there for the follow up but Neuer recovers well and punches it away Next
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What time is it?
Mexico vs Sweden kicks off at 15:00 at the Ekaterinburg Arena.
Where can I watch it?
Live coverage is available on BBC Two and online via the BBC Sport website.
Odds
Mexico: 7/5
Sweden: 11/5
Draw: 11/5
Prediction
Mexico are expected to continue their successful run into this game and take home the victory. This game is predicted to be quite close with the edge going to Mexico.
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