TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Mexican national team kicked off the 2026 World Cup with a convincing 2-0 victory over South Africa in their Group A opener at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City early Friday morning, Indonesian time.
As reported by ANTARA, the match was intense and saw Brazilian referee Wilton Sampaio issue three straight red cards: two to South African players and one to a Mexican player.
Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez each scored to give El Tri their first three points. This result puts Mexico at the top of Group A with three points, while South Korea and the Czech Republic will face each other on Friday at 9:00 a.m. Indonesian time.
Mexico took the initiative and attacked immediately. The hosts took the lead in the 9th minute through Julian Quinones, who capitalized on a mistake by the South African defense.
The goal came from Erik Lira winning the ball in the opposition half. The ball fell to Quinones, who fired a low shot. The ball sailed under goalkeeper Ronwen Williams' legs and into the net.
The goal was recorded as the fastest goal in a World Cup opening match since Philipp Lahm scored for Germany in the sixth minute against Costa Rica in the 2006 edition.
South Africa struggled to overcome pressure throughout the first half. Mexico's dominance allowed it to maintain a 1-0 lead until halftime.
Entering the second half, things became increasingly difficult for South Africa. In the 49th minute, Sphephelo Sithole was shown a straight red card for a foul on Brian Gutierrez, who was in a scoring position.
This decision left South Africa with 10 men. Although Raul Jimenez's free kick after the incident hit the wall, Mexico eventually doubled their lead to 2-0 in the 67th minute. Jimenez scored with a precise header from a cross from the right.
South Africa lost another player in the 83rd minute. Themba Zwane received a straight red card after a VAR review showed he had punched Roberto Alvarado in the face while trying to escape his marker.
Playing with nine men, South Africa increasingly struggled to catch up. However, the red card drama wasn't over yet. In injury time, Mexican defender Cesar Montes was also sent off for denying Khuliso Mudau a golden opportunity.
Despite playing with only ten men in the final minutes, Mexico maintained its lead until the final whistle, closing the match with a 2-0 victory.
Lineups
Mexico (4-1-4-1): Raul Rangel; Israel Reyes, Cesar Montes, Johan Vasquez, Jesus Gallardo; Erik Lira; Roberto Alvarado, Brian Gutierrez, Alvaro Fidalgo, Julian Quinones; Raul Jimenez.
South Africa (5-3-2): Ronwen Williams; Khuliso Mudau, Ime Okon, Nkosinathi Sibisi, Mbekezeli Mbokazi, Aubrey Modiba; Teboho Mokoena, Sphephelo Sithole, Jauden Adams; Lyle Foster, Iqraam Rayners.
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