Chicharito hails 'crucial' Mexico win as red-card chaos marks World Cup opener

Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez gave co-host Mexico a winning start to the 2026 World Cup on Thursday, each scoring in a 2-0 defeat of South Africa at the Azteca Stadium in front of 80,824 fans — though the match will be remembered as much for its three red cards as its goals.

South Africa’s Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane were both dismissed, leaving the Bafana Bafana to finish with nine men. Mexico defender César Montes then received a red card in injury time, making this the first World Cup opener to feature multiple dismissals since Cameroon in 1990.

Former Mexico striker Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández was untroubled by the chaos, insisting the result was all that mattered. “It was crucial,” he said. “This is the correct way to start this World Cup: with your people, scoring two goals, maintaining the clean sheet. Even though that sending-off with Montes is going to be difficult for the team, it’s all positives. Now we’re thinking about the next game.”

Quiñones, who finished as the top scorer in the Saudi Pro League this season, opened the scoring in the ninth minute. Jiménez doubled the lead with a header in the 66th, completing a personally significant afternoon — it was his first World Cup goal and his first start at the tournament.

Hernández was visibly moved by Jiménez’s milestone. “It’s his first goal in a World Cup, his first starting as well, and with that very special meaning. Our main striker scores a goal and it means so much more than just a simple goal at the World Cup.”

The strike was Jiménez’s 46th international goal, drawing him level with Jared Borgetti in second place on Mexico’s all-time scoring list. He now sits six behind Hernández, who leads the record with 52 career goals.

Quiñones, a 29-year-old forward born in Colombia, was one of six Mexico starters making their World Cup debut on the night — a sign of the generational shift underway in El Tri as the tournament, the largest in World Cup history, gets under way on home soil.