Exactly 16 years ago, South Africa and Mexico faced off in the opening match of the first-ever FIFA World Cup held on African soil. In that historic encounter, Siphiwe Tshabalala gave South Africa the lead before Rafael Marquez — then Mexico’s captain — equalized to secure a 1-1 draw.
In the rematch at the 2026 World Cup on June 11, Marquez was once again involved, this time on the sidelines as assistant coach to Javier Aguirre, creating a unique connection between two generations of Mexican football.
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Before kickoff, the Azteca Stadium came alive with a short yet vibrant opening ceremony filled with music and color. The atmosphere intensified as nearly 80,000 fans turned the stands into a cauldron of noise, aiming to intimidate the African side.
Mexico struck early in the 9th minute when Julian Quinones capitalized on a defensive mistake by South Africa, firing a powerful shot through goalkeeper Ronwen Williams’ legs to open the scoring and ignite the Azteca crowd. Quinones finished as the top scorer of the 2025–26 Saudi Pro League with 33 goals for Al Qadsiah, ahead of Ivan Toney (32) and Cristiano Ronaldo (28).
Mexico’s biggest star, Raul Jimenez, made his mark in the second half. In the 67th minute, Roberto Alvarado delivered a cross for the former Fulham and Wolves striker to head home from close range and seal a 2-0 victory. After scoring, the 35-year-old forward collapsed to the ground in tears.
The goal carried deep emotional significance for Jimenez after years of battling back from a severe skull injury to return to top-level football. It also served as a tribute to his late father, who passed away earlier this year.
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The 2-0 scoreline accurately reflected Mexico’s dominance, as they controlled 61% possession and recorded 16 shots, four of them on target, compared to South Africa’s three attempts and two on target. However, Mexico’s superiority was not solely due to their style of play, as the co-host nation also benefited from a numerical advantage.
In the 49th minute, Yaya Sithole committed a foul on Brian Gutierrez near the penalty area and received a straight red card. Then, in the 84th minute, the referee reviewed footage on the sideline monitor and ruled that Themba Zwane had struck Alvarado in the face, resulting in another dismissal for the visitors.
South Africa became the first national team to receive two red cards in a World Cup match since 2006, when both Portugal and the Netherlands had two players sent off in their Round of 16 clash.
In stoppage time, Mexico were also reduced to 10 men after Cesar Montes committed a dangerous challenge on right-back Khuliso Mudau. A total of three red cards were shown in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup, compared to only four red cards across all 64 matches at the 2022 tournament.
According to Sky Sports journalist Sam Blitz, only Sithole’s red card was clearly justified, while the other two decisions sparked major controversy. He also recalled referee Wilton Sampaio’s history of contentious decisions, including in the 2022 World Cup quarter-final between England and France.
Similarly, Gary Neville expressed surprise at Montes’ dismissal.
“I was shocked when the referee showed the red card. It was a match where nobody expected there to be three red cards,” the former Manchester United defender said on ITV.
