As Wednesday dawned, Mexico had at least three routes to the World Cup’s knockout stage.
The first was the easiest: beat Sweden Wednesday in Ekaterinburg, or even earn a draw, and the Mexicans were assured a first-place finish in Group F and a spot in the round of 16.
The second was more complicated: lose to Sweden, finish in a three-way tie atop the group, but find a way to advance via the sometimes complicated FIFA tie-breaking scenarios.
The third route? That was absurd. It would allow Mexico to lose to Sweden, but bypass the tie-breaking scenario altogether. How? If South Korea — one of this tournament’s lowest-ranked teams, and a side with virtually nothing to play for other than pride — found a way to tie or even defeat Germany, the top-ranked team in the world and the reigning champions, a nation that had advanced past the first round of every World Cup it had entered since 1938!..
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