Mexico vs South Africa RECAP: World Cup opener descends into chaos as THREE red cards are brandished - with co-hosts on verge of clinching victory

Mexico vs South Africa RECAP: World Cup opener descends into chaos as THREE red cards are brandished - with co-hosts on verge of clinching victory - See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source By HARRY BAMFORTH, LIVE SPORTS COVERAGE REPORTER and LUKE POWER, SPORTS REPORTER and OLIVER HOLT, CHIEF SPORTS WRITER and JEFF POWELL MBE, SPORTS WRITER AND BOXING COLUMNIST and CHARLOTTE DALY, MULTIMEDIA CONTENT REPORTER Updated: Relive Daily Mail Sport's live blog for the latest score, team news and updates as Mexico vs South Africa kicks off the 2026 World Cup following the opening ceremony. One down, many more to go... And just like that, day one is done. Well, that's if you live in the UK; if you are reading this and live across the pond, then the good news for you is that you still have one game to go today. But circling back (as they say in the corporate world), the opening match of this summer's World Cup is finito. Mexico came in as the favourites to sweep South Africa aside, and that's exactly what they did. The scoreline doesn't tell the story, frankly. They could have scored a bucket load more. But two was enough for the hosts to secure all three points in their first match at the wonderful Azteca. Also, we can't forget that the referee tried to be the main character and gave out three red cards. Two of them were far, but that last one, jeez... Anyway, it's time for me to head off. Thanks for joining and I will see you all for day two tomorrow. Broos: 'We made Mexico desperate at times' Hugo Broos, South Africa boss, speaking after the game: The first red card, I don't think we have to say anything about it, but the second red card, I think the Mexican player blocked my player; that happens. The referee decides something else, so it is a little bit [a] pity that we have to finish this game with nine players. I think my team played a good game; in some moments in the game, Mexico [were] even desperate, they didn't know how to find the spaces, so everything was good. The only thing that must be better in the next game is when we have the ball. That was not so good today so we have to work on it. Busy bookies World Cup 2026 will be the biggest tournament in gambling history according to David Nilsen at Kongebonus. The gambling editor said: 'World Cup 2026 is shaping up to be the biggest betting event football has ever seen. The reasons are simple: it's the biggest World Cup ever, expanding from 32 teams to 48 and from 64 matches to a record 104. That's 40 extra games and thousands of additional betting markets. 'Add in the fact that the tournament is being hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico - three major betting markets - and it's easy to see why bookmakers are expecting record turnover. 'More games. More fans. More markets. More bets. World Cup 2026 could rewrite the record books both on and off the pitch.' Quinones: 'Many things came to my head when I scored' Julian Quinones, Mexico goalscorer, speaking after the game: Many things came into my head like celebrating and screaming with joy. I went to the bench to see my peers because they have given me so much confidence. I wanted to feel that joy with them. On Raul Jimenez: We really congratulated him because he gives a lot to the team. Being part of a team is our pride and it's wonderful he continues to add goals to his career as a player in our national team. 'One of the brightest matches of it's kind' Jeff Powell At The Mexico City Stadium: This was also one of the brightest matches of its kind. Opening games are normally of the don’t-lose variety. But Mexico were in full flow. They could have put three more past a suffering South Africa by half-time, then came excruciatingly close to claiming their second with the first attack after the interval. If England, as they might, come here to face them in the round of the last 16, they will not only enter a baying colosseum but come up against a quick, bright, skilled, solid, dangerous team. HIGHLIGHTS: Mexico 2-0 South Africa Let's revisit the chaotic nature of that World Cup opener, shall we? There may have only been two goals, but man, that was an action-packed 90 minutes. From minute one, I had a lot of fun. 'This was an uproarious party' Oliver Holt At The Mexico City Stadium: If some had feared this match would be the beginning of a long lament stretching all the way to the final at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19th, Mexico had other ideas. They turned the lament into an uproarious party, a joyous manifestation of the emotions the game can unleash and the stories it tells. This was a game of three red cards but that was not the story. This story was Raul Jimenez’s to tell. It is six years since Jimenez fractured his skull in a game for Wolverhampton Wanderers against Arsenal, an injury many feared he would never return from. But he did return and this is his fourth World Cup. But Jimenez had never scored a goal at the tournament and then at the Azteca, at the age of 35, in the opening game of a home World Cup, Jimenez put all that right with the header that made the game safe for Mexico. And, if sometimes in the past months, some have regarded this tournament as something to dread, here in the Azteca, it felt as if there were, at last, a celebration. It was a celebration of fervour and of Mexico’s national pride and it was a celebration of the joy of football beyond the reach of bureaucrats. What's coming up in the next few days? Shall we take a look at the World Cup fixtures taking place over the weekend? Yep, I think we damn should. FRIDAY - South Korea vs Czech Republic, 03:00 BST (22:00 EST) - Canada vs Bosnia & Herzegovina, 20:00 BST (15:00 EST) SATURDAY - USA vs Paraguay, 02:00 BST (21:00 EST) - Qatar vs Switzerland, 20:00 BST (15:00 EST) - Brazil vs Morocco, 23:00 BST (18:00 EST) SUNDAY - Scotland vs Haiti, 02:00 BST (21:00 EST) - Australia vs Turkey, 05:00 BST (00:00 EST) - Germany vs Curaçao, 18:00 BST (13:00 EST) - Netherlands vs Japan, 21:00 BST (16:00 EST) 'Montes sending off is a sore note' Chris Sutton, former England forward, on Radio 5 Live: I suppose the one sore note for Mexico would have been the sending off of Cesar Montes at the end, who was outstanding all afternoon. He is really important for Mexico because he's so good in the air as well and set plays are a big part of the game now. I didn't think it was a denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity. Lots of love from Mexicans The only way that could have gone better for Mexico is if they finished with 11 men. But hey, they still got the three points. There were some decent celebrations at the end there; the Mexican players were having a belting time. WATCH: Zwane's red from the ref's angle A sign of the modern era. The referee was wearing a ref cam on his head during that game, which means we get to see the big calls from his angle. Here is how he saw Themba Zwane's challenge, you know, the one he didn't give a red card for until after VAR. It was a red, clear as day. - 22:05 - 21:53 - 21:15 - 21:04 - 20:5993' - 20:5184' - 20:3467' - 20:1650' - 19:56 - 19:159' - 19:061' - 18:08 - 18:06 - 16:35 - 14:08 - 13:30 - 13:00 Share or comment on this article: Mexico vs South Africa RECAP: World Cup opener descends into chaos as THREE red cards are brandished - with co-hosts on verge of clinching victory - 21shares - Add comment The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. 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