Korea Republic v Mexico - Mexico Wins Again and Its Fans Roar for the Coach - 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia - Match 28

The singing started in the dying minutes of the match. Like so many chants that pop up these days in international soccer, it cribbed the familiar bass line of the White Stripes song “Seven Nation Army.”

The parts that were new — and remarkable, really — were the words.

“El Profe Osorio!” roared the fans of Mexico, who formed the huge majority of the spectators at the packed, steamy Rostov Arena on Saturday night. “El Profe Osorio!”

Coach Juan Carlos Osorio, the object of their affections, arrived in Russia this month beneath a hailstorm of criticism from all corners of Mexico. That he carried a winning record with the team mattered little. Members of the Mexican news media were openly hostile to him and his tactical choices. Fans called for his dismissal. But on Saturday night, he was the beloved professor.

How quickly things can change in the rarefied ecosystem of a World Cup.

The team, under his guidance, has engineered a perfect start to this tournament, first knocking off Germany, the defending champion, and on Saturday night dispatching a plucky South Korea team, one looking to salvage some worth from its own stay in Russia, by a 2-1 score.

Asked after the game about the fans’ change of tune, Osorio took the same contemplative view, the same philosophical detachment, that has carried him to this point.

“I think this will be a very beautiful memory in the future,” Osorio said in Spanish through an interpreter. “But remember, football is subjective. There are many differing opinions inherent to the sport, constant changes, and many analyses only have to do with the final score. So I think the most appropriate action is to keep working. We cannot simply get carried away with our victory.”

The fans could be forgiven, though, for letting themselves get lost in their feelings.

In Mexico’s first game, a 1-0 win against Germany, Osorio orchestrated a counterpunching masterpiece of a game plan, helping the Mexicans sidestep and stun their vaunted opponents. Here on Saturday night, the Mexicans were the ones applying the steady pressure, controlling about 60 percent of the possession and withstanding 24 fouls from a South Korean team that seemed intent on disrupting its flow.

SOURCE:

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/23/sports/world-cup/mexico-vs-south-korea-live.html