Three red cards, multiple send-offs! Mexico defeats South Africa 2-0 in a 'tumultuous' opening victory... Goal by Jimenez, a teammate of Hee-chan Hwang

*This content was translated by AI.

Host nation Mexico began its World Cup campaign on a high note by defeating South Africa.

Ranked 15th by FIFA, Mexico secured a 2-0 victory over South Africa (ranked 60th) in the Group A opener of the 2026 FIFA North, Central America and Caribbean Cup at the Mexico City Stadium on the morning of the 12th (Korean time).

Benefiting from home advantage and regarded as the strongest team in Group A, Mexico (3 points) moved to the top of the group, ahead of South Korea and the Czech Republic, who have yet to play. South Africa sits at the bottom of the group.

Backed by the one-sided support of over 80,000 home fans, Mexico pressed South Africa from the start of the match. Threatening the opponent's goal with a shot by Raul Jimenez in the 5th minute, Mexico scored the opening goal just nine minutes into the first half. Julian Quiñones intercepted a defensive error and immediately fired a right-footed shot from inside the penalty box into the net.

Mexico continued to control the flow of the game. With organic passing plays and breakthroughs, they kept shaking up the South African defense.

South Africa, which struggled to find an attacking path, finally registered a shot only in the late stages of the first half. In the 37th minute, a header by Kyle Freese from inside the box went far wide to the left of the goal.

Mexico, which continued to dominate, narrowly missed another scoring opportunity. In the 42nd minute, Quiñones received a perfectly timed pass from a teammate inside the box and connected with a right-footed shot, but the ball struck the left post and bounced out.

The first half ended 1-0 in Mexico's favor.

Mexico, which pressed from the early stages of the second half, gained a numerical advantage after a South African midfielder was sent off. In the 4th minute of the second half, Sefelo Sitole tripped Brian Gutierrez while attempting a breakthrough, and the referee immediately showed a red card.

Although Mexico held a numerical advantage, they struggled to score another goal. There was no bold and aggressive play characteristic of Mexican football; instead, they simply maintained high possession and played somewhat frustratingly.

Needing a change in momentum, Mexico introduced 17-year-old Gilberto Mora, the youngest attacker in the nation's World Cup history, in the 21st minute of the second half.

As the second half progressed, Mexico finally scored an additional goal. In the 22nd minute, Raul Jimenez connected with a cross from the left flank with a precise header, sending the ball into the net. Jimenez, who scored his first goal on the World Cup stage, shed emotional tears. Having recently returned to Wolverhampton from Fulham, his former club, Jimenez has once again become Hee-chan Hwang's teammate and has emerged as the number one attacking threat to South Korea.

Desperate South Africa resorted to increasingly rough play. Nkosinathi Sibisi received a yellow card for a deep tackle on Jimenez, and eventually, South Africa's veteran Temba Zwane received a red card for striking a Mexican player in the face.

Mexico also saw a player sent off in the latter part of the second half. Center-back Cesar Montes tripped an opponent while attempting to stop a breakthrough, and the referee showed a red card. As a result, Montes will be unable to play in the second match against South Korea.

After all added time in the second half had elapsed, the match ended with a 2-0 victory for Mexico.

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*This content was translated by AI.