Olushola Omogbehin
In an interesting encounter, Mexico opened the 2026 FIFA World Cup and defeated Bafana Bafana of South Africa with 2-0 in the Group A campaign that produced three red cards at the Mexico City Stadium on Thursday
Being the host nation, Mexico who controlled possession and determined the pace of the match for much of the evening, made an excellent start when Julián Quiñones converted in the ninth minute, Érik Lira’s assis
The reduction of Bafana Bafana to 10 players after Yaya Sithole was shown a straight red card just after four minutes into the second half must have been responsible to their defeat.
Using this advantage, the Mexican in the 67th minute struck again when Raúl Jiménez also converted Roberto Alvarado’s pass.
The luck of Bafana Bafana become dimmer when it was reduced to nine men in the 84th minute after Themba Zwane was given another straight red card following an incident involving Alvarado.
Close to the end of the game, César Montes was also sent off for denying a goalscoring opportunity during a South African counterattack.
Apart from providing a strong foundation for their World Cup campaign, this victory gives Mexico an early advantage in Group A as the battle lies ahead for Bafana Bafana.
The farthest that Mexico has ever gone in the World Cup was to the quarterfinals of 1970 and 1986, which happened to be the only two times it has hosted the world biggest football tournament.
The victory was significant in the newly renovated Mexico City Stadium, which is one of the sport’s all-time great venues. It is where Pele and Diego Maradona were crowned World Cup champions.
