Hernandez has the last laugh

In the absence of a deadline there was time for a spot of reflection on the cinematic arts in Lyon on Saturday. Inspired by the performance of the Mexican strike force in the first half, the topic for reappraisal was, specifically, whether or not the bad guys in the Magnificent Seven were faking it or not.

Personally, after 45 minutes of watching Luis Hernandez and co hit the deck at every available opportunity, I'm not so sure anymore.

If the bandits in the film were just throwing themselves about for effect then, let's face it, when Yul Brunner and the other gringos headed north again the one who stayed behind to marry the local girl would really have found out what being outnumbered was all about.

As it happens, on Saturday, the South Koreans found out a bit about it too. For almost half an hour they led and were keeping their heads above water, thanks largely to their remarkable workrate. The goal, a Ha Seok-Ju free kick which took a cruel deflection off Duilio Davino, was the result of a stroke of luck. But, had Ha not become the first victim of FIFA's new rule on tackles from behind just two minutes later, there's no telling how they might have fared.

Pretty well, insisted their coach Cha Bum-kun who was keen to put everything that happened afterwards down to the 29th minute dismissal. "It was the key event in the game," said Cha before pointing out that injuries had prevented him from fielding his best side.

The Mexicans, who were at full strength, made their place in the world ranking look laughable. At the back they were unconvincing, with Jorge Campos having to produce several fine saves to keep them in the game. Across the middle they were erratic, Jesus Ramirez posing the greatest threat, and then only after he had switched to the left hand side at the start of the second half.

It was then that they started to take control. With Ramirez showing a lot of pace out wide, substitute Jesus Arellano brought a little sparkle on the right. Suddenly, Hernandez and his striking partner Cuauhtemoc Blanco started to find some room to manoeuvre. More importantly, perhaps as a result of a frank exchange with manager Manuel Lapuente during the break, they began to see the Korean's defensive frailties, rather than the penalty spot, as holding out the best promise of some goals.

Shortly after the break the shift in emphasis began to pay off. The equaliser came after a free kick which the Mexicans had only been awarded after their claims for handball inside the area had been dismissed by referee Gunter Benko. Ramirez swung it in and after a fortunate bounce off Yoo Sang-Chui, who should have cleared, another substitute, Ricardo Pelaez, banged a simple shot home from no more than five yards.

From that point, the Koreans seemed unlikely to hang on for the draw. After a seemingly endless string of chances had been passed up by the Mexicans Hernandez got two in the closing quarter of an hour to wrap up the win.

That, as it turned out, was enough to send them to the top of Group E with Holland and Belgium only managing to draw. There wasn't all that much to suggest, however, that they'll still be there after their encounters with the group's other more experienced teams.