¡Ay, Jalisco, no te rajes! Mexico Defeats South Korea at the FIFA World Cup 2026 in Guadalajara Style

El Tri secured its second victory as co-host of football’s biggest tournament. Mexican fans are celebrating!

Mexicans are celebrating across their country, in the United States, and in many other parts of the world. The joy was sparked by their national team, which secured qualification to the second round after earning its second victory and finishing first in Group A at the FIFA World Cup 2026. The remarkable part is that they did it in true Jalisco style, just like the popular songs say.

GUADALAJARA IN EVERY SENSE

Beyond securing a place in the Round of 16, and achieving for the first time in history two wins in their first two World Cup matches without conceding a goal, Mexico enjoyed a dream night from a Tapatío perspective.

It was the first time they played a match in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, one of the country’s three most important regions. Previously, Mexico had only played in Mexico City, Toluca, and Monterrey across the three World Cups it has hosted: 1970, 1986, and 2026.

They did it in style, with the home crowd responding in full force.

The match took place at Guadalajara Stadium, home of Mexico’s most popular club, Chivas de Guadalajara, where both heroes of the night play: goalscorer Luis Romo and goalkeeper Raúl “Tala” Rangel.

THE “¡AY, JALISCO, NO TE RAJES!” MOMENT FROM ROMO AND RANGEL

Both players, previously criticized for being starters and not meeting World Cup expectations, showed their quality on the very pitch they regularly call home in Liga MX with Chivas.

Romo started the match, replacing naturalized player Álvaro Fidalgo, following César Montes’ red card in the previous win over South Africa at Mexico City Stadium.

A mistake from South Korean goalkeeper Kim Seung-Gyu, who failed to connect with defender Lee Gi-hyuk, left the ball for Romo, who scored the goal and earned redemption, justifying his controversial call-up.

Romo emulated compatriots Javier Fragoso (Club América in Mexico 1970 at the Azteca Stadium) and Siphiwe Tshabalala (Kaizer Chiefs in South Africa 2010 at Soccer City), the only players to score a World Cup goal in the stadium of their club team.

On the other end, Rangel—also Romo’s teammate at Chivas—shone in his home state, as he is originally from Jalisco, from Zapotlán el Grande.

His triple save in the 87th minute, denying headers from Cho Gue-sung and follow-up attempts from Yang Hyun-jun and Oh Hyeon-gyu, preserved the victory and sparked celebrations across the country.

His composed performance left even South Korea’s star Son Heung-min stunned on the bench, unable to believe the equalizer never came after Edson Álvarez’s earlier clearance in the 15th minute.

Like Romo, Rangel also faced criticism for being the starting goalkeeper, especially with legendary goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa on the bench, still chasing his sixth World Cup appearance.

There is no doubt that the famous phrase popularized by singer Jorge Negrete and composers Manuel Esperón and Ernesto Cortázar, “¡Ay, Jalisco, no te rajes!”, was embodied by both Chivas players.

CHIVAS, THE OTHER WINNER

The Guadalajara club has now reached 13 World Cup goals thanks to Romo’s strike, remaining the Mexican club with the most goals in the tournament, ahead of Necaxa with seven.

Nine Chivas players have contributed to Mexico’s World Cup goals, with Romo becoming the first since Javier “Chicharito” Hernández in South Africa 2010, when he scored against France.