- Mexico beat nine-man South Africa 2-0 at a roaring Estadio Azteca
- Three red cards: two for Bafana Bafana, one late for Cesar Montes
- Raul Jimenez scores emotional header six years after fractured skull
World Cup 2026 burst into life in Mexico City, where the co-hosts handled the occasion and then some. After a starry opening ceremony featuring Shakira and Burna Boy, Mexico delivered the substance, beating South Africa 2-0 amid the chaos of three red cards at a deafening Estadio Azteca. If you fancied the hosts, you weren’t alone; punters poring over the best football betting sites had Mexico down as favourites, and they played like it.
Azteca Delivers, Mexico Do Too
Mexico flew out of the traps. Inside 10 minutes, Julian Quinones pounced on a loose touch from Sphephelo Sithole and drilled low through the keeper’s legs to settle opening-night nerves. From there, the Azteca crowd took over—relentless, raucous, and exactly what a curtain-raiser should sound like.
After the break came the moment that tugged at the heartstrings. Raul Jimenez, six years on from that life-threatening fractured skull suffered for Wolves against Arsenal, rose to glance home a lovely header for 2-0. The celebration told its own story—eyes glistening, team-mates swarming. Football doesn’t often do neat narratives, but this one landed.
South Africa’s Discipline Unravels
South Africa never recovered from their own errors. Early in the second half, Sithole’s evening went from bad to worse as he was sent off for denying Brian Gutierrez a clear run on goal on the edge of the box. Themba Zwane then followed, dismissed after a VAR review caught a needless slap on Roberto Alvarado off the ball. And just when it looked routine, Mexico captain Cesar Montes saw red in stoppage time for bringing down Khuliso Mudau as the last defender—technically right, even if it surprised a few in the stands.
Communication around the second red did little to help, with the stadium—and plenty at home—left guessing until the referee went to the monitor. Still, Mexico were fully deserving winners: sharper, calmer, and far better in both boxes. Hugo Broos can’t legislate for basic lapses, but he’ll know Bafana Bafana remain alive in this expanded format—32 of 48 advance—albeit now shorn of key men through suspension. For Mexico, liftoff achieved, and the grand old Azteca remains the star of the show.
Bio:
Football fanatic, you will often find me on the terraces at lower league matches on a Saturday afternoon. I leave the Premier League matches to the prawn sandwich brigade; grassroots football for me all the way.
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As the lead copywriter, it’s my job to turn my colleagues’ “messy notes” (sorry, guys!) into clear, engaging content. From bookmaker reviews to betting predictions, I make sure everything is polished, accurate, and easy to read
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