Updated

Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jun 11

Mexico-South Africa Sets World Cup Opening-Match Record With 3 Red Cards as Mexico Wins 2-0

Updated

Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jun 11

Mexico-South Africa Sets World Cup Opening-Match Record With 3 Red Cards as Mexico Wins 2-0

Q: Was Mexico's historic win a true show of strength or just a result of a red card advantage?

Mexico’s 2-0 win was more than just a product of the red card, though the dismissal made an already favorable match more comfortable. The clearest evidence is that Mexico had taken control before South Africa went down to 10 men. Julián Quiñones scored in the 9th minute, well before Yaya Sithole’s red card in the 49th, and Mexico were already pressing effectively, forcing the error that led to the opener. They also finished with 57% possession and created the better chances throughout, reflecting a game they were largely dictating. The broader context also supports that view. Mexico came in on a strong run, unbeaten in eight pre-tournament matches, and were playing at altitude in front of a home crowd at Estadio Azteca. South Africa, by contrast, arrived with weaker recent form and struggled to generate attacking threat even before the sending-off changed the balance further. That said, the red card was still a major turning point. It reduced South Africa’s ability to recover, limited their attacking ambition, and gave Mexico more space and control in the second half. Raul Jimenez’s goal in the 67th minute came after Mexico had been able to exploit that numerical advantage. So the fairest reading is that Mexico showed real strength from the start and looked the better side at 11-v-11. The red card did not create the win, but it helped turn a strong performance into a decisive and historic opening-night result.

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Jun 11

Three players were sent off in Mexico's 2-0 win over South Africa, setting a World Cup record for red cards in an opening match and leaving all three suspended for their next games.
Wilton Sampaio and VAR dismissed South Africa's Yaya Sithole in the 41st minute, then Themba Zwane after a neck grab review, before Mexico's Cesar Montes saw red in stoppage time.
South Africa had already fallen behind to Julián Quiñones' ninth-minute goal and finished with nine men; Raúl Jiménez added Mexico's second as El Tri opened its campaign with a comfortable win.
The match still fell short of the single-game World Cup record of 4 reds from Portugal vs. the Netherlands in 2006, but its total nearly matched the 4 red cards shown across all 64 matches in Qatar 2022.