North and Central America World Cup Kicks Off; Mexico Wins Opener

[Anchor]

The world's biggest football festival, the North and Central America World Cup, has officially begun. Amidst a spectacular opening ceremony, host nation Mexico—who is in Group A with South Korea—defeated South Africa in the opening match to claim the tournament's first victory.

Reporting by Yu Byeongmin.


[Reporter]

The North and Central America World Cup kicked off amidst the roar of 80,000 capacity spectators filling the Mexico City Stadium.

The World Cup trophy rose from the center of the stage accompanied by performances symbolizing Aztec culture, and the atmosphere reached a fever pitch with performances by famous singers.

Soon after, the flags of the 48 participating nations entered in a procession, with the South Korean flag appearing second, following South Africa, as part of Group A.

The spectacular opening ceremony concluded with Lee Jae, who sang the theme song for K-Pop Demon Hunters, and opera singer Andrea Bocelli performing the official theme song, "DNA."

As the referee's whistle signaled the start of the opening match between Mexico and South Africa, a deafening roar covered the pitch. Fueled by the passionate support of the home crowd, Mexico scored the opening goal just 9 minutes into the first half.

Intense pressure up front forced a mistake from the South African defense; Quiñones intercepted the ball and fired a powerful right-footed shot into the net.

Continuing to pressure South Africa, Mexico gained a numerical advantage in the 3rd minute of the second half following the expulsion of South Africa's Sithole. In the 22nd minute of the second half, Jiménez sealed the victory with a header.

In the 39th minute of the second half, South Africa's Zwane was sent off for striking an opponent in the face, and during second-half stoppage time, Mexico's Montes was also shown a red card for a rough tackle. Despite the ejections, Mexico secured a 2-0 victory and became the first team to win in the tournament.

(Video Editing: Park Gi-deok)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.