On Thursday, June 11, the 23rd edition of the FIFA World Cup kicked off at the Estadio Azteca. In what is the biggest World Cup in the tournament’s history, 109 matches will be played over 39 days across the USA, Mexico and Canada. 48 teams enter the fray, but only one will leave North America as the world champion.
And the first day of matches set the tone for what this World Cup can become.
Mexico dismantles South Africa in opener
In a rematch of the 2010 opener, which featured three red cards, Mexico took all three points with a 2-0 win over South Africa.
Mexico coach Javier Aguirre’s decision to get his team to press high paid dividends, as Bafana Bafana struggled to play out from the back under pressure, creating great chances for the Mexicans.
And the strategy paid off in the ninth minute, when South African goalkeeper and captain Ronwen Williams played a short pass to central midfielder Sphephelo Sithole near their own penalty area, but a heavy touch allowed El Tri’s Érik Lira to make an interception and pass it off to Colombian-born left winger Julián Quiñones, who put his shot through Williams’ legs and into the net for the first goal of the tournament.
Quiñones put on a man-of-the-match performance, completing the game with five shots (two on target), five successful dribbles, five passes into the final third, two chances created and winning seven ground duels.
Things soon went from bad to worse for South Africa four minutes into the second half, when Sithole got sent off in the 49th minute for clipping the legs of attacking midfielder Brian Gutiérrez, denying him an obvious goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO for short). And Mexico capitalized in the 67th minute when right winger Roberto Alvarado whipped in a cross to unmarked striker Raúl Jiménez, who unleashed a powerful header that sent it past Williams to make it 2-0.
It was a feel-good moment for Jiménez, whose career and life were in jeopardy five years ago due to a horrific injury that caused a fracture in his skull.
The last ten minutes of the game were chaotic, as Bafana Bafana were down to nine men in the 84th minute due to substitute Themba Zwane catching Alvarado in the face on a non-ball foul, only for El Tri to have a man sent off in the 92nd minute when center back and captain César Montes clipped right wing-back Khuliso Mudau outside the box, denying him an obvious goal-scoring opportunity.
Despite the late fireworks, the result was never in doubt as Mexico made its mark inside the Estadio Azteca, where they have not lost a competitive match on their home turf since 2013.
Hwang’s masterclass helps South Korea squeeze past Czechia
Day one ended in style as Hwang In-beom put on a show at Guadalajara Stadium, helping South Korea down the Czech Republic to take all three points.
The first half was genuinely a flat affair, with both teams failing to break through and find the mark. Korea was the more aggressive team early on, finishing the half with eight shots compared to Czechia’s two, but only had one on target.
The second half, however, turned into a battle of attrition, with the match intensity increasing as the minutes went on.
The Czechs struck in the 59th minute off yet another set piece, with right wing-back Vladimír Coufal heaving his throw all the way to South Korea’s six-yard box, where center back and captain Ladislav Krejčí was left unmarked and launched a header past goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu to give Czechia the lead. After that, the Czechs were more than happy to sit deep and absorb the pressure to launch on the counter.
But the plan backfired in the 67th minute when Hwang latched onto a pass in the Czech Republic’s box from attacking midfielder Lee Kang-in. And with one feint, Hwang beat out goalkeeper Matěj Kovář and center back Robin Hranáč before chipping his shot into the far corner to tie the game.
The Czechs thought they took back the lead in the 78th minute off another set-piece goal from defensive midfielder Tomáš Souček, but it was ruled offside. And two minutes later, Hwang received the ball on the right wing, before playing a low driven cross to substitute Oh Hyeon-gyu inside Czechia’s box, who slotted in the back of the net past Kovář to give the Taegeuk Warriors the 2-1 lead that they eventually held onto until the end, winning their first FIFA World Cup opening match since 2010.
Hwang won the man of the match award in convincing fashion, completing 90% of his passes, nine final-third passes and five recoveries.
Mexico prepares to face South Korea in matchday two on Thursday, June 18 in a battle for first place in Group A, while the Czech Republic takes on South Africa on the same day.
