Mexico defeated South Africa 2–0 in an ill-tempered FIFA World Cup opener at Estadio Azteca, with targets from Quinones and Jimenez.
IMAGE: Julian Quinones, left, celebrates with team-mate Israel Reyes after scoring Mexico’s first aim towards South Africa within the FIFA World Cup opener in Mexico Metropolis on Thursday. {Photograph}: Hannah Mckay/Reuters
Key Factors
- Mexico beat South Africa 2-0 within the FIFA World Cup 2026 opener with targets from Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez.
- The match noticed three gamers — South Africa’s Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane, and Mexico’s Cesar Montes — receiving straight pink playing cards.
- Quinones’s ninth minute strike is the earliest aim in a FIFA World Cup opener since 2006.
- Mexico subsequent meet South Korea, whereas South Africa will play Czechia.
Mexico obtained the World Cup celebration began because the co-hosts swept away South Africa 2-0 on Thursday in an encounter with three pink playing cards because the quadrennial soccer extravaganza obtained underway on the Azteca stadium.
Julian Quinones’s early strike set the tone for a dominant Mexican show within the Group A encounter with Raul Jimenez’s header halfway by the second half eradicating any lingering stress for the house crowd.
IMAGE: Mexico’s Raul Jimenez celebrates scoring their second aim. {Photograph}: Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters
But the match will likely be remembered as a lot for the three dismissals, with South Africa having Sphephelo Sithole despatched off early within the second half, along with his teammate Themba Zwane following him off the pitch earlier than Mexico’s Cesar Montes was dismissed within the dying moments.
The ill-tempered encounter spoiled an in any other case celebration environment, but the house crowd obtained to have fun a gap victory that may set them up properly to make it out of a gaggle that additionally contains South Korea and the Czech Republic.
IMAGE: South Africa’s Sphephelo Sithole is proven a pink card by referee Wilton Sampaio. {Photograph}: Hannah Mckay/Reuters
The sport was barely minutes previous when Jimenez stung the fingertips of South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams with a volley from 12 yards, however the event’s opening aim was not lengthy in coming.
Sithole was robbed on the sting of his personal field by Erik Lira, most popular within the coronary heart of midfield to captain Edson Alvarez, and he shortly fed Quinones who danced inside earlier than drilling a low end beneath Williams.
IMAGE: Julian Quinones scores the opening aim. {Photograph}: Hannah Mckay/Reuters
It took 35 minutes for South Africa to even vaguely threaten the Mexico aim when Lyle Foster glanced a header large, but as the primary half drew to an in depth Hugo Broos’s aspect have been clinging on for pricey life.
First Jimenez wafted a foot at an inswinging cross to attract a tremendous save from Williams earlier than Quinones struck the publish from shut vary with the aim at his mercy and Brian Gutierrez pushed an effort large when he ought to have executed higher.
IMAGE: Mexico’s Raul Jimenez scores their second aim. {Photograph}: Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters
The second half started in an analogous vein and it was Gutierrez who drew the primary pink card when his marauding run in direction of the field was stopped in its tracks by Sithole, whose clumsy sort out from behind earned him his marching orders to finish a depressing afternoon’s work for the midfielder.
The group had begun to get a bit of stressed at Mexico’s failure to show their numerical benefit into one other aim however that frustration was relieved when Jimenez bagged his first World Cup aim, with a robust downward header previous Williams from a devilish cross by Roberto Alvarado.
IMAGE: Julian Quinones celebrates along with his team-mates. {Photograph}: Hannah Mckay/Reuters
The sport’s finale was dominated by the dismissals with Zwane despatched off after a VAR test for a supposed arm to the face whereas Montes was despatched off for Mexico for denying a goalscoring alternative.
Mexico face South Korea in Guadalajara on Thursday, whereas South Africa play Czechia.
Mexico Depart Out Captain Alvarez
Earlier Mexico coach Javier Aguirre made two main choice calls for his or her opening sport, leaving captain Edson Alvarez and veteran goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa out of the beginning XI.
Aguirre opted to begin Raul Rangel in aim, denying Ochoa what would have been a sixth World Cup look. Captain Alvarez was additionally named among the many substitutes, with Erik Lira chosen to begin in central midfield alongside Alvaro Fidalgo and Brian Gutierrez.
South Africa, in the meantime, have been led by captain Ronwen Williams in aim. Coach Hugo Broos named a aspect largely made up of gamers from Mamelodi Sundowns, with Lyle Foster spearheading the assault.
