A crucial match between contenders South Korea (1-0-1, 4 points) and Mexico (1-0-1, 4 points) is set at the Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha in Brazil's capital of Brasília on August 10, Wednesday to determine the top two qualifiers from Group C as the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics men's football tournament continues.
South Korea won by a landslide over Fiji, 8-0, in their tourney-opener but was held to a 3-3 draw by powerhouse squad Germany in their second round match at the Itaipava Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador last Sunday, NBC Olympics reported.
Three different players from head coach Shin Tae-yong's side scored a goal each, namely Hwang Hee-chan, Son Heung-min, and Suk Hyun-jun at the 25th, 57th, and 87th minutes respectively, to complete their three-goal haul while Arsenal winger Serge Gnabry had a brace and striker Davie Selke scored one for the Germans.
The Taegeuk Warriors were leading 3-2 at the end of full time, but Gnabry was able to find the equalizer in stoppage time to salvage the draw and a share of a point in the overall standings.
South Korea would have outright qualified in the quarterfinals if they had preserved the win. Now, they are in a winner-take-all battle with the defending Olympics champions for a place in the last eight.
Meanwhile, Mexico romped past lowly Fiji, 5-1, in their own second round match also in Salvador on Sunday, as per SB Nation.
Pachuca winger Erick Gutierrez netted four goals, all in the second half, to lead El Tricolor out of a first half scare when Fiji forward Roy Krishna scored at the 10th minute that would have left them crushed in their attempt to win back-to-back Olympic gold medals this summer.
Whoever wins this match will gain top spot in Group C and an automatic berth in the next round. However, if the game ends in a draw and Germany wins over Fiji in the day's other match, a triple-tie between South Korea, Mexico, and Germany will have to be broken based on the rules of the Games.
According to the rules, the top two squads from each group will be ranked based on: (1.) points obtained in all group matches; (2.) goal difference in all group matches; and (3.) number of goals scored in all group matches.
The predicted result is a close 2-1 win for Mexico.
South Korea starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Kim; Lee, Choi, Jung, Sim; Jang, Park; Kwon, Moon, Son; Hwang
Mexico starting lineup (4-2-2-2 formation): Talavera; Abella, Montes, Salcedo, Torres; Perez, Gutierrez; Pizarro, Lozano; Bueno, Peralta