Mexico beat South Africa 2-0 in the 2026 World Cup opener as goals from Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez sealed victory in a heated match
Mexico launched their 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign with an emphatic 2-0 victory over South Africa at Estadio Azteca on Thursday in a fiery Group A encounter that produced three red cards and saw the African side finish with nine men.
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Julian Quinones scored the first goal of the tournament before veteran striker Raul Jimenez added a second-half effort as Mexico secured a valuable opening win in front of a capacity crowd of 80,824 at the iconic stadium.
South Africa struggled to cope with the occasion from the outset and ended the match with nine players after dismissals for Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane. Mexico also finished a player short after defender Cesar Montes was sent off late in the contest.
The hosts made a dream start as Quinones opened the scoring in the ninth minute. The forward capitalised on a defensive error before drilling a low effort through the legs of South Africa captain and goalkeeper Ronwen Williams.
The goal sparked a thunderous celebration inside Estadio Azteca, which became the first stadium in history to host matches at three FIFA World Cups.
South Africa head coach Hugo Broos had warned his players about the intimidating atmosphere generated by Mexico’s passionate supporters, but his side appeared unsettled during the early stages.
Mexico dominated possession and territory, with supporters greeting every successful passing sequence with loud chants as the hosts controlled the tempo.
Sithole endured a particularly difficult afternoon.
he midfielder lost possession in the build-up to Quinones’ opener and was later shown a straight red card in the 49th minute for bringing down Brian Gutierrez as the Mexican attacker raced clear on goal.
Mexico made their numerical advantage count in the 67th minute through a swift and clinical counter-attack.
Roberto Alvarado delivered an inviting cross to the far post, where Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Jimenez rose to head home and double the lead.
South Africa’s afternoon deteriorated further six minutes from time when Zwane was dismissed following a Video Assistant Referee review. The referee produced a red card after determining that the midfielder had struck Alvarado in the face with an arm during an off-the-ball incident.
The ill-tempered contest still had one final twist. Mexico defender Montes was sent off in the closing stages for a reckless challenge on Khulisa Mudau just outside the penalty area.
Despite the late setback, Mexico comfortably saw out the remaining minutes to claim a powerful opening victory and make an ideal start to their quest for a place in the knockout stages.
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For South Africa, the defeat leaves Broos’ side with work to do in the remaining Group A fixtures as they seek to recover from a difficult opening night on football’s biggest stage.
Victory Emmanuel is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
