Mexico wasted no time making history on home soil. Just nine minutes into the match, Julian Quiñones fired a brilliant strike into the back of the net to score the very first goal of the 2026 tournament, sending the home crowd into a frenzy and giving El Tri an early 1-0 lead that they held until halftime, News.Az reports, citing CBS Sports.
The second half is where the match turned completely chaotic. South Africa’s comeback hopes suffered a massive blow in the 50th minute when Yaya Sithole was shown a straight red card, leaving Bafana Bafana outnumbered. Mexico capitalized on the advantage in the 67th minute, with veteran striker Raúl Jiménez finding the back of the net to double the lead to 2-0.
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Things went from bad to worse for South Africa in the 84th minute when Themba Zwane was also sent off, reducing the squad to just nine men on the pitch. However, the referee wasn’t done handing out cards. Deep into stoppage time (90+2′), Mexico’s César Montes was also shown a red card, capping off a wild, physical, and unforgettable opening match.
With this 2-0 victory, Mexico secures a crucial three points to start their World Cup campaign, while South Africa will look to rebuild ahead of their next group stage fixture.
