Mexico cruise past nine-man South Africa in World Cup opener

Mexico kicked off their FIFA World Cup campaign in style on Thursday, defeating South Africa 2-0 in the opening match of the tournament at the iconic Estadio Azteca.

Goals from Julian Quinones and veteran striker Raul Jimenez secured a comfortable victory for the hosts, who delighted a capacity crowd of more than 80,000 supporters in Mexico City.

The co-hosts wasted little time in asserting their dominance, taking the lead in the ninth minute through Quinones. The forward capitalised on a defensive error before firing a low effort past South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams to register the first goal of the tournament.

Backed by a passionate home crowd, Mexico controlled much of the contest and continued to pile pressure on the South African defence.

South Africa’s task became even more difficult shortly after the restart when midfielder Sphephelo Sithole was shown a red card in the 49th minute for bringing down Brian Gutierrez as the Mexican attacker raced clear on goal.

The numerical advantage eventually paid off for the hosts in the 67th minute when Roberto Alvarado delivered a cross into the box for Jimenez, who headed home to double Mexico’s lead.

South Africa’s hopes of mounting a comeback suffered another setback in the 84th minute when captain Themba Zwane was sent off following a VAR review for violent conduct.

Mexico’s celebrations were slightly tempered late in the game when defender Cesar Montes received a red card for a foul on Khulisa Mudau near the edge of the penalty area.

Despite finishing with 10 men, Mexico comfortably saw out the closing stages to secure all three points and make an impressive start to their Group A campaign.

The victory places Mexico in a strong position as they continue their quest for qualification to the knockout stage, while South Africa will need a response in their next fixture to keep their hopes alive.

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