Mexico Wins World Cup Opener; Key Defender Montes Sent Off

[Anchor]

The North and Central American World Cup has officially kicked off. Amid a spectacular opening ceremony, host nation Mexico, which is in Group A alongside South Korea, defeated South Africa in the opening match to claim the tournament's first victory.

Reporter Yu Byeongmin has the story.

[Reporter]

The North and Central American World Cup opening ceremony began amidst the roar of a capacity crowd of 80,000 at 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 Taegeukgi, part of Group A, appearing second after South Africa.

The ceremony concluded with a spectacular performance of the official theme song, "DNA," by K-pop star Lee Jae of Demon Hunters and opera singer Andrea Bocelli.

As the referee's whistle signaled the start of the opening match between Mexico and South Africa, the stadium was filled with deafening cheers. Fueled by the passionate support of the home crowd, Mexico scored the opening goal just 9 minutes into the first half.

Intense pressure in the attacking third forced a defensive error from South Africa, allowing Quiñones to steal the ball and fire 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, and sealed the victory with a header from Jiménez in the 22nd minute of the second half.

Mexico defeated South Africa 2-0, becoming the first team to secure a win in the tournament.

Meanwhile, South Africa's Zwane was shown a red card in the 39th minute of the second half for striking an opponent in the face, and in second-half stoppage time, Mexico's Montes was also sent off for a reckless tackle. As a result, Montes, a key pillar of Mexico's defense, will miss the second group stage match against South Korea, which is expected to be a favorable development for Hong Myung-bo's squad.

(Video Editing: Wi Won-yang)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.