Analysis— 5 min read
After seven previous attempts, Mexico finally have a World Cup opening-match win. El Tri beat South Africa 2-0 at the Estadio Azteca in front of a sold-out crowd, in a game remembered as much for its three red cards as for the football itself.
Julian Quinones broke the deadlock inside the opening ten minutes, giving the hosts the perfect start in front of their own fans. Mexico were the better side from the first whistle and controlled possession and tempo throughout, registering 16 shots in total, though only four found the target.
The game turned chaotic in the second half. Themba Zwane was sent off for South Africa after a VAR review for an off-the-ball incident, leaving the visitors down to ten men. Moments later, Mexico defender Cesar Montes was controversially shown a straight red card himself, adjudged to be the last man as he brought down Khuliso Mudau on the counter-attack — reducing Mexico to ten as well.
Despite the numerical chaos, it was Mexico who found a second. Raul Jimenez, who survived a life-threatening injury earlier in his career and lost his father earlier this year, scored an emotional second goal in the second half to make it 2-0 — his first ever World Cup goal.
The three red cards mark only the second time in World Cup history that has happened in a single match — the previous occasion also involved South Africa, against Denmark in 1998.
Mexico will be without Cesar Montes for their next match against South Korea in Guadalajara on June 18, while South Africa face a tough rebuild having lost a player to a red card and fallen to defeat in their tournament opener.