Mexico was so much better than South Africa in its 2026 FIFA World Cup opener that it didn’t need a gift from the guests. El Tri got one anyway in the 9th minute and rode it to a comfortable 2-0 win against a 9-man team, giving Mexico the fast start to the tournament they had coveted.
The hosts dominated throughout and could have won by a much larger margin, but they got the goal they needed early when South Africa’s Sphephelo Sithole, attempting to play the ball out of the back, gave the ball away under pressure from Mexico’s Charly Lira.
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Julián Quiñones pounced on it just inside the 18-yard box, then nutmegged South Africa keeper Ronwen Williams for the opening goal.
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Sithole later picked up a red card in the 49th minute and Raúl Jiménez doubled the lead for Mexico in the 67th with a header off a cross from Roberto Alvarado. To make matters worse for the visitors, Themba Zwane was red carded in the 84th minute and South Africa were forced to finish with nine men.
Williams made several nice saves in the first half, and Mexico hit a post to keep it close. They actually hit a lull after Sithole’s red card but recovered soon enough with Jiménez’s goal.
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On the negative side for Mexico, César Montes picked up a red card in the second minute of second-half stoppage time and will have to miss Mexico’s next match against South Korea.
El Tri plays South Korea on Thursday, June 18 in Guadalajara. The game kicks off at 7 p.m. MT/8 p.m. CT on Fox (English) and Telemundo (Spanish).
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Mexico soccer dominates South Africa 2-0 to open World Cup
