Mexico began its home World Cup campaign with a 2-0 victory over South Africa in a heated opening match at the Estadio Azteca, setting the tone for the tournament in front of a vocal home crowd.
Goals from Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez ensured the hosts claimed all three points, although the contest was overshadowed by three red cards in a tense and often scrappy encounter.
Quiñones struck early to give Mexico control, while Jiménez added a second midway through the second half, converting a header to ease the pressure on Javier Aguirre’s side.
Despite the victory, Mexico’s manager was far from satisfied with the overall performance.
“This was a 4-0 match, we didn’t play good enough, but people are happy,” Javier Aguirre said. “It’s the start of the World Cup. We’ve put the nerves behind us and now we have three points.”
The match quickly lost its rhythm as disciplinary issues took centre stage.
South Africa were reduced to ten men early in the second half when Sphephelo Sithole was sent off for a challenge from behind, before teammate Themba Zwane was also dismissed following a VAR review.
Mexico finished the match with ten players as César Montes was shown a red card in the closing moments.
While the atmosphere inside the Azteca remained celebratory, the string of dismissals disrupted the flow of the match and overshadowed what had been a dominant display from the hosts.
The result gives Mexico an early advantage in Group A, where they aim to progress with confidence as one of the tournament's co-hosts.
Backed by more than 80,000 supporters, the team made a fast start, pressing South Africa high and creating chances from the opening minutes.
The opening goal came after a defensive error, with Erik Lira winning possession and setting up Quiñones, who finished calmly.
Mexico continued to control proceedings, although they were slow to extend their lead until Jiménez’s well-placed header secured the win.
In the group’s other match, South Korea joined Mexico on three points with a 2 to 1 win over the Czech Republic in Zapopan.
After Ladislav Krejci gave the Czech side the lead early in the second half, South Korea responded through Hwang In-beom before Oh Hyeon-gyu netted the winner in the 80th minute.
Goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu made several key saves late on to preserve the result, ensuring South Korea remained level with Mexico at the top of the standings.
With both Mexico and South Korea securing victories, the early picture in Group A suggests a competitive race for qualification.
The Czech Republic, playing in their first World Cup in two decades, now face early pressure, while South Africa will look to recover in their next match.
Mexico, meanwhile, will take confidence from their opening result but know that performances will need to improve as the tournament progresses.
For now, the hosts have delivered the outcome their supporters demanded, even if the performance left room for improvement.
A Kyiv-Warsaw train was struck near the Polish border, Ukraine's state railway firm said on Sunday. No passengers were injured. Ukrai...
Maritime trackers received new reports of an attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, according to the ...
Indonesian rescuers are searching for 130 people after a passenger ship carrying 243 people sank in the Java Sea following bad weather, while 113 p...
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrived in New Delhi on Friday to attend the weekend BRICS summit, amid the ongoing U.S.-Iran conflict, joining a host of foreign dignitaries.
Maritime trackers received new reports of an attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), adding to concerns about energy supplies after Saudi Arabia shut down a vital oil pipeline on Saturday.
A Kyiv-Warsaw train was struck near the Polish border, Ukraine's state railway firm said on Sunday. No passengers were injured. Ukrainian Railways said that the country's railways were facing systematic attacks for a second day and warned of widespread delays.
Saudi Arabia has temporarily shut down its 1,200-kilometre East-West oil pipeline after it was hit by a drone attack, with Riyadh and Baghdad saying the strike originated from Iraq.
Dubai’s property market has spent years climbing. Now, for the first time since 2021, prices are moving in the opposite direction.
A Kyiv-Warsaw train was struck near the Polish border, Ukraine's state railway firm said on Sunday. No passengers were injured. Ukrainian Railways said that the country's railways were facing systematic attacks for a second day and warned of widespread delays.
Indonesian rescuers are searching for 130 people after a passenger ship carrying 243 people sank in the Java Sea following bad weather, while 113 people have been evacuated and six have died, the country’s search and rescue agency said on Sunday.
China will lead the creation of an open source platform among BRICS members to promote cooperation on large language models, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Sunday.
Swedes vote in an election on Sunday (13 September) that could see the far-right enter government for the first time if the country's right-wing parties can form a majority.
Philippine rescuers recovered 41 more charred remains from a ferry fire on Saturday (12 September), taking the death toll to 76, while 13 people remained unaccounted for as forensic teams worked to identify the victims.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment