South Africa walked out at the Estadio Azteca on June 11 for their first World Cup match in 16 years. The occasion was a repeat of the 2010 opener, when the two sides met on the day South Africa hosted the tournament, and this time it ended in a 2-0 win for Mexico.
For South African supporters following the tournament through Virgin Bet, the opener marked Bafana Bafana’s return to the World Cup after missing four straight editions.
Hugo Broos had guided the side there by topping a qualifying group that included Nigeria, and there was real optimism heading into Mexico City.
In this article, we look back at how the opener unfolded, from a fast Mexican start to a night that ran away from Bafana Bafana.
A quick Mexican start
Mexico needed only nine minutes to break the deadlock. Yaya Sithole gave the ball away in a dangerous area, and Julian Quinones punished the error by firing home the first goal of the entire tournament.
Playing in front of a packed home crowd, Javier Aguirre’s side settled quickly and controlled much of the first half.
The same manager had been in charge for the 2010 meeting, which finished 1-1, so he knew exactly what an opening night at the Azteca demanded.
The night turns on a red card
The match changed in the 49th minute. Sithole, already at fault for the opener, hauled down Bryan Gutierrez as the Mexico midfielder broke clear on goal.
Brazilian referee Wilton Sampaio showed a straight red card, and South Africa were down to 10 men with most of the second half still to play.
Raul Jimenez doubled the lead soon after with a free header, his first World Cup goal, and from there, Bafana Bafana were chasing the game.
Two more sent off
South Africa’s evening got worse on 84 minutes. Substitute Themba Zwane was dismissed for violent conduct after a VAR review judged that he had caught Roberto Alvarado, leaving Bafana Bafana with nine men.
Mexico did not finish the night unscathed either. Captain Cesar Montes was sent off for a heavy challenge on right-back Khuliso Mudau, reducing the hosts to 10.
Three red cards made it the first World Cup opening match in history to feature that many, and South Africa joined Cameroon in 1990 as the only nations to have two players sent off in a tournament opener.
What it means for Bafana Bafana
A 2-0 defeat with two men dismissed was a tough way to mark a long-awaited return. The performance was disciplined for long spells, with a five-man defence frustrating Mexico before the sending off shifted the balance.
The Azteca, now the first stadium to host three World Cup opening games, proved a step too far on the night.
It’s one of the most chaotic World Cup openers in the history of the tournament, and will, undoubtedly, be brought up time and again in the build-up to future editions of the competitions after what transpired in Mexico City.
