Jiménez off to a flyer! Ex-Benfica man scores for Mexico (video) | OneFootball

Mexico beat South Africa 2-0 in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup, corresponding to the first round of Group A, in Mexico City at the Azteca Stadium last Thursday. Raúl Jiménez scored one of El Tri’s goals.

In front of more than 80,000 spectators, the Latin American side scored the opening goal in the ninth minute. Erik Lira pressed South Africa’s build-up play and managed a crucial tackle, which turned into an assist for Julian Quiñones to find the net with a low shot.

Quiñones tried to score his second goal of the game, but the ball struck the left post in the 41st minute. South Africa’s first sending-off came four minutes into the second half, when Tondela midfielder Sphephelo Sithole brought down Brian Gutiérrez on the edge of the box and was shown a straight red.

The second goal took a few more minutes to come, even with Mexico holding the numerical advantage on the pitch. In the 67th minute, Quiñones played it to Roberto Alvarado, who crossed into the box and saw Raúl Jiménez head the ball down and straight into the net.

In the closing stages, South Africa’s situation became even more complicated with the sending-off of Themba Zwane in the 84th minute for violent conduct. The hosts then managed the result well, even after Mexico’s César Montes was also sent off in the 90+2nd minute.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.