Mexico's Julian Quinones celebrates after scoring. The Azteca stadium, renamed Mexico City Stadium for the Geopolitics World Cup, delivered a nostalgic opening match as hosts defeated South Africa 2-0. Despite high ticket prices and a 280 peso beer, the spirit of past tournaments remained strong.
Match Highlights
Yaya Sithole's red card for South Africa was a defensive disaster, while Raúl Jiménez scored for Mexico. Brazilian referee Wilton Sampaio issued three red cards. South African pundits Quinton Fortune, Aaron Mokoena, and Benni McCarthy were left speechless by their team's poor performance.
Other Matches
In Guadalajara, South Korea came from behind to beat Czechia 2-1, with goals from Hwang In-beom and Oh Hyeon-gyu. The official attendance was 44,985, but TV showed many empty seats.
News and Notes
Japan captain Wataru Endo is out of the World Cup due to injury and has retired internationally. Australia coach Tony Popovic extended his contract. Thibaut Courtois may retire from international football after the tournament.
Obituary
Kenny Jackett, former Watford and Wales player and manager, died at 64. He managed over 900 games for seven clubs and won promotions with Swansea, Millwall, and Wolves.
