2 days ago
1
Mexico manager Javier Aguirre revealed his squad had flooded a bout of signifier fright earlier clinching their archetypal triumph successful a World Cup opener with a 2-0 decision of South Africa connected Thursday (June 11, 2026).
Mexico had ne'er won their opening crippled of World Cup successful 7 attempts, registering 5 defeats and 2 draws during their erstwhile appearances astatine the tournament.
But Aguirre’s broadside were ever successful power against a mediocre South African squad astatine the Estadio Azteca and bagged 3 points that puts them firmly connected people for the knockout rounds from Group A.
Aguirre though revealed his squad had had to acceptable speech immoderate opening time nerves to execute the result.
“When you’re starting retired the World Cup, of people your legs volition shake,” Aguirre said. “Never successful 25 years had anyone had immoderate cramps but 3 of them had cramps today.
“We were successful awe erstwhile we saw the stadium and they got a small spot of signifier fright. But we ne'er suffered. We could person scored 4 and it would person been wholly different.”
The last minutes of Thursday’s (June 11, 2026) crippled saw immoderate sections of the restless location assemblage boo the World Cup co-hosts.
Aguirre said portion helium hadn’t heard the catcalls, the assemblage were entitled to vent.
“I didn’t perceive boos. But it could person been a 4-0 game. 2-0, is not truthful much. But we got 3 points, which is amazing,” Aguirre said.
“If idiosyncratic is booing, it’s the Mexico players’ work to marque definite that doesn’t hap again. But it didn’t person an interaction connected us.”
Mexico present look up to games against South Korea and the Czech Republic -- but Aguirre snuffed retired immoderate proposition that his squad were targeting finishing archetypal successful their group.
“We’re zero obsessed to triumph the group,” helium said. “Today we’re conscionable focused connected Korea. It’s not relevant. It’s not our priority. Our precedence is to absorption connected Korea, to support going measurement by measurement and hole for the future.”
South Africa manager Hugo Broos meantime had nary ailment with the reddish paper that saw Sphephelo Sithole dismissed aft half-time, but took contented with the dismissal of substitute Themba Zwane precocious successful the game.
“The archetypal reddish card, I don’t deliberation we person to accidental thing astir it but the 2nd reddish paper I deliberation the Mexican subordinate blocked my player, the referee decides thing else,” helium said. “So it is simply a pity that we person to decorativeness this crippled with 9 players.
“I deliberation my squad played a bully game, immoderate moments successful the crippled Mexico adjacent desperate, they didn’t cognize however to find the spaces. But we indispensable effort and beryllium amended successful the adjacent crippled erstwhile we person the ball.”
