Mexico opened the 2026 World Cup with a 2-0 win over South Africa. Thanks to goals from Quinones and Jimenez, but three red cards stole the headlines at the Azteca Stadium.
Mexico launched their joint host World Cup with a 2-0 win over nine man South Africa at the Azteca Stadium, but the opener will be remembered as much for three red cards as for Julian Quinones tournament opening goal.
QUINONES PUNISHMENT SITHOLE ERROR FOR EARLY LEAD
South Africa's World Cup debutant Yaya Sithole endured a nightmare afternoon. In the 9th minute, he was dispossessed on the edge of his own box and Julian Quinones fired home the first goal of the tournament to send the Azteca into delirium.
Mexico should have been out of sight before halftime. Raul Jimenez was twice denied by Ronwen Williams, and Quinones hit the post in the 43rd minute as Bafana Bafana struggled to get out of their half.
JIMENEZ DOUBLE LEAD IN EMOTIONAL MOMENT
With nerves creeping in after the break, Mexico made the game safe in the 67th minute. Roberto Alvarado cross found Raul Jimenez at the back post, and the striker headed home his first ever World Cup goal. Tears followed understandable given his serious head injury in 2020 and long road back to the world stage.
CHAOS AS REFEREE ISSUES THREE RED CARDS
The match spiraled in the second half. Sithole's afternoon went from bad to worse in the 50th minute when he hauled down Bryan Gutierrez as the last defender. Referee Wilton Sampaio showed a straight red.
Controversy followed in the 82nd minute. VAR intervened after South Africa substitute Themba Zwane appeared to swipe at Alvarado's face. Sampaio reviewed the monitor and sent Zwane off for violent conduct the first VAR red of the tournament.
Then in stoppage time, Mexico defender Cesar Montes was also dismissed for stopping Khaliso Madau's counter attack on the edge of the box. Despite Madau having ground to cover, Sampaio ruled it denial of a goalscoring opportunity even after a VAR check.
PUNDITS SPLIT ON RED CARDS
Sky sports Gary Neville and Roy Keane disagreed on the decisions. Keane backed the Montes red "if he's getting past him, he's passing for his mate to score. Pure laziness."
Neville thought the Zwane call was harsh "if he'd been given a yellow card, and a yellow for the third one, we'd be saying that's fine." He did however, call Montes foul "lazy defending " on the edge of the box.
NEW WORLD CUP RULES DEBUT
Beyond the cards, FIFA's new directives were on show. Referee Sampaio enforced a five second rule for goalkeepers and slow play, counting down on his hand in first half stoppage time. Substitutions were also faster players sprinting off or risking a booking if they take longer than 10 seconds.
A three minute cooling break in each half was introduced too, with music played over the PA. Whether it improves flow or breaks rhythm remains to be seen.
WHAT NEXT
Mexico start with three points and top spot in group A, but willl be without Montes for the next game. South Africa face an uphill task after losing two players and a debut to forget for Sithole.
For the hosts, it's a perfect starting point for the tournament, it's a signal that VAR and the new time wasting crackdown will shape the next month.
Mexico launched their joint host World Cup with a 2-0 win over nine man South Africa at the Azteca Stadium, but the opener will be remembered as much for three red cards as for Julian Quinones tournament opening goal.
QUINONES PUNISHMENT SITHOLE ERROR FOR EARLY LEAD
South Africa's World Cup debutant Yaya Sithole endured a nightmare afternoon. In the 9th minute, he was dispossessed on the edge of his own box and Julian Quinones fired home the first goal of the tournament to send the Azteca into delirium.
Mexico should have been out of sight before halftime. Raul Jimenez was twice denied by Ronwen Williams, and Quinones hit the post in the 43rd minute as Bafana Bafana struggled to get out of their half.
JIMENEZ DOUBLE LEAD IN EMOTIONAL MOMENT
With nerves creeping in after the break, Mexico made the game safe in the 67th minute. Roberto Alvarado cross found Raul Jimenez at the back post, and the striker headed home his first ever World Cup goal. Tears followed understandable given his serious head injury in 2020 and long road back to the world stage.
CHAOS AS REFEREE ISSUES THREE RED CARDS
The match spiraled in the second half. Sithole's afternoon went from bad to worse in the 50th minute when he hauled down Bryan Gutierrez as the last defender. Referee Wilton Sampaio showed a straight red.
Controversy followed in the 82nd minute. VAR intervened after South Africa substitute Themba Zwane appeared to swipe at Alvarado's face. Sampaio reviewed the monitor and sent Zwane off for violent conduct the first VAR red of the tournament.
Then in stoppage time, Mexico defender Cesar Montes was also dismissed for stopping Khaliso Madau's counter attack on the edge of the box. Despite Madau having ground to cover, Sampaio ruled it denial of a goalscoring opportunity even after a VAR check.
PUNDITS SPLIT ON RED CARDS
Sky sports Gary Neville and Roy Keane disagreed on the decisions. Keane backed the Montes red "if he's getting past him, he's passing for his mate to score. Pure laziness."
Neville thought the Zwane call was harsh "if he'd been given a yellow card, and a yellow for the third one, we'd be saying that's fine." He did however, call Montes foul "lazy defending " on the edge of the box.
NEW WORLD CUP RULES DEBUT
Beyond the cards, FIFA's new directives were on show. Referee Sampaio enforced a five second rule for goalkeepers and slow play, counting down on his hand in first half stoppage time. Substitutions were also faster players sprinting off or risking a booking if they take longer than 10 seconds.
A three minute cooling break in each half was introduced too, with music played over the PA. Whether it improves flow or breaks rhythm remains to be seen.
WHAT NEXT
Mexico start with three points and top spot in group A, but willl be without Montes for the next game. South Africa face an uphill task after losing two players and a debut to forget for Sithole.
For the hosts, it's a perfect starting point for the tournament, it's a signal that VAR and the new time wasting crackdown will shape the next month.
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