Mexico eases past South Africa in red-card marred World Cup opener

MEXICO CITY World Cup co-host Mexico got off to the perfect start with goals from Julian Quinones and Raúl Jiménez sealing a 2-0 win over nine-man South Africa in the tournament opener on Thursday.

Yaya Sithole’s mistake - from a risky pass by keeper Ronwen Williams - allowed Erik Lira to square the ball for Quinones, who sent fans wild. The ninth-minute goal was the earliest at a men’s World Cup since 2006. 

“I’m very happy and very emotional that I scored the first goal. The fans were spectacular,” Quinones said.

A woeful day for South Africa and Sithole was made worse by a red card for a professional foul early in the second half.

A well-timed header from veteran forward Jiménez helped secure a deserved victory, and South Africa’s Themba Zwane was later dismissed for slapping Roberto Alvarado after video review. 

South Africa coach Hugo Broos said: “The second red card, I think the Mexican player blocked my player. It is a little bit bitter that we have to finish this game with nine players.”

The one black mark for Mexico was a late red card for Cesar Montes for a last-man tackle as an opening game at a men’s World Cup had three dismissals for the first time. The overall record is four. 

A glitzy opening ceremony including Colombian pop star Shakira and Mexican actress Salma Hayek preceded the match at the fabled Azteca Stadium, which became the first arena to host three men’s World Cups. 

The game was not quite as glamorous as the entertainment before it, but Mexico and over 80,000 fans inside will not care. Predicted storms amid the heat also did not materialize. 

The biggest World Cup to date, with 48 rather than 32 teams, is being co-hosted by three nations for the first time. The United States is the major partner and Canada has two venues, but Mexico was bestowed the honor of the opening game given its rich footballing heritage.

After a build-up dominated by negative headlines over Iranian access to the U.S. and the U.S. blocking the entry of a Somalian referee, Mexico was keen for the soccer to do the talking and dominated. 

The 35-year-old Jiménez - who fought back from a severe head injury in 2020 - was also twice expertly denied by much-hyped Bafana Bafana captain Williams, while Quinones hit the post.

Mexico No. 1 goalie Raúl Rangel kept Guillermo Ochoa on the bench, but the stalwart goalkeeper can still say he is the first man to be in six World Cup match squads. Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are set to join him.

The game was a repeat of the opening match from the 2010 tournament, when host South Africa drew 1-1 with the Mexicans.

The opening goal was rather different to Siphiwe Tshabalala’s thunderbolt 16 years ago, but El Tricolor showed why it has lost only twice at the Azteca in competitive games.

Mexico will continue to try to take advantage of playing at altitude and in heat it is used to when it faces South Korea on Thursday. 

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This story was originally published June 11, 2026 at 8:20 PM.