Mexico set the tone for a competitive opening group for the 2026 World Cup, as they recorded a convincing win against Hugo Broos' lacklustre South African side.
How far do you see Mexico going this year?
With a mountain of pressure from home fans, Javier Aguirre's Mexico side has set the tone for Group A, dominating a poor South African side and sending the Mexico fans at the Estadio Azteca home with a smile on their faces.
After the dismissal of Edson Álvarez from the starting eleven, Erik Lira stepped up to produce a proud performance, recording an assist for Mexico's second goal.
South Africa failed to produce any attacking threat of note, and went behind in the ninth minute to an unfortunate mistake from Sphephelo Sithole, not the start Hugo Broos would have wanted heading into the tie.
South Africa went down two nine men in the second half, costing them a chance to redeem their poor first-half performance. Both incidents have left South Africa with a predicament heading into the second-round clash against the Czech Republic.
The match saw another red card late on in the game when Mexican team captain César Montes was sent off after a collision with defender Khuliso Mudau, though it looked unlikely that El Tri's lead was in jeopardy.
Quiňones and Jiminéz run the show
Mexico's dominance was stated early on when new Wolverhampton Wanderers signing Raúl Jiminéz hit the target with a precise half-volley following a terrific cross from the right side. Ronwen Williams made a reactive save, but this chance acted as a warning shot to a South African defence that looked to still be feeling the effects of jet lag
Soon after, Colombian-born Júlian Quiñones scored the opening goal of the 2026 World Cup, with a tidy finish after Bafana midfielder Sithole was caught dawdling on the ball on the edge of the box, and Quiñones recovered a loose touch from Erik Lira, then slotted it past the helpless Williams.
Former Premier League talisman Jiminéz showed his ability from the off for Mexico. At 35 years old, the striker is yet to show signs of slowing down. After an impressive display today, he'll surely guide Mexico into the knockout stages of the tournament.
The striker facilitated build-up play, with players like Álvaro Fidalgo and Roberto Alvarado running off Jiminéz to progress play up the pitch. His hard work paid off in the 67th minute, when he met a cross from Alvarado to head the ball home and take his side 2-0 up in the match.
It wasn't the complete performance from Aguirre's side. A red card late on from Montes means he'll miss the second round match against South Korea next Friday, in a tie that could see Mexico qualify for the round of 32.
Gilberto Mora entered the pitch to make his World Cup debut in the 66th minute. The 17-year-old enters the tournament with a lot of attention on him, being the youngest player in the tournament. His cameo is not a handout by the Mexican manager, more of a reward for the stellar debut season he's had with Tijuana, and his impact on the Mexican squad since he made his debut last year.
Aguirre will leave the stadium relieved, having faced a rampant home crowd that expected a convincing win in the inaugural 2026 fixture, though he'll feel that if he had faced a side with a bit more bite, then the story may look different.
South Africa crumbles in World Cup return
Bafana manager Broos will be far from impressed with his side's performance tonight. Upon South Africa's return to the most prestigious competition in the World, there was an expectation that the African nation would put up more of a fight in the opening fixture, but perhaps the bar was set too high by South Africa's 2010 squad, when Siphiwe Tshabalala scored the opening goal against Mexico in their home World Cup that year.
27-year-old Sithole's performance is something the midfielder will not be proud of. After being caught on the ball by Lira, Sithole's mistake cost his team a clean sheet early on, and it didn't pick up from there.
The Tondela midfielder then received this tournament's first red card soon after play resumed in the second-half. Brian Gutiérrez made a darting run in South African territory, where he was clipped at the heel by Sithole, a challenge which subsequently saw the South African removed from the match.
Things went from bad to worse soon after Broos' side conceded a well-taken second goal, when substitute Themba Zwane received the game's second red card. The 36-year-old caught Alvarado in the face, and was heading to the changing rooms approximately 20 minutes later.
There was no respite from a persistent Mexican attack, and the South African defence struggled to contain elusive players like Fidalgo and Quiñones, which ultimately led to their demise.
That said, a shining light for Broos' side was 31-year-old Khuliso Mudau, whose determination didn't waver from start to finish. For the majority, he handled Quiñones decently, but the rest of his backline didn't meet expectations.
What does this mean for the rest of the group?
Favourites to top the group, Mexico, set the tone in their convincing win tonight. It's hard to point out any negatives from their performance; however, Aguirre will feel his side could have taken more chances and capitalised on a shaky South Africa defence.
Players like Jiminéz, Quiñones, and Lira look set to have a very good tournament, which will fill Aguirre with confidence heading into a decisive tie against South Korea next week, as El Tri can confirm qualification to the knockout phases in that match.
The same cannot be said for South Africa. Broos will find it hard to remain optimistic as his side was predicted to finish bottom of the group, and they showed no signs of challenging the odds in their display tonight.
That said, his side knows the meaning of underdog, as we've seen in 2010, when they beat France and drew with Mexico. They face the Czech Republic in an imperative fixture next Thursday, a must-win game for South Africa to keep their World Cup dreams alive.
