World Cup winner Christoph Kramer and legendary coach Christian Streich were significantly underwhelmed by the intensity of the 2026 World Cup opening match.
«One had the feeling beforehand: it was so charged, and I expected great intensity. The gaps opening up was predictable, but I thought they would really battle it out and go hard into the duels. But it was actually more like a charity match,» lamented ex-national player Kramer in his role as a ZDF expert after co-host Mexico’s 2-0 victory over South Africa on Thursday evening.
«They both rather let each other play. The beginnings of wave-like cheering in the stands are never a good sign for a football match, and there were a few of those, even in the first half,» Kramer elaborated on his criticism.
Earlier, Streich, the long-time coach of SC Freiburg, had emphasized that he was particularly «disappointed» with the South Africans. «Because I thought they would have better organization and put up more of a fight. But the spaces were so large. The early goal shocked them, and then it was disappointing,» Streich told ZDF.
On MagentaTV, former Dortmund and Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp, a World Cup expert for the pay-TV channel, also criticized South Africa’s performance: «They simply did too little. I don’t want to say they didn’t want to. But they couldn’t manage it with their capabilities.»
Mexico vs. South Africa: ‘Three Red Cards — but Not Much Happened’
A careless loss of possession in their own penalty area by South Africa’s defensive midfielder Yaya Sithole led to the opening goal for Mexico in the 9th minute, which was enthusiastically celebrated by approximately 80,000 spectators in the Azteca Stadium. Julian Quinones scored the first goal of this World Cup.
Sithole was sent off with a red card at the beginning of the second half for a professional foul (50th minute). With a man advantage, star striker Raul Jimenez added the second goal in the 67th minute for the Mexicans, making the final score 2-0. In the closing stages, there were two more dismissals: First, South Africa’s substitute attacking player Themba Zwane received a red card for an alleged violent conduct after a VAR review (84th minute). In added time, Brazilian referee Wilton Pereira Sampaio deemed a foul by Mexican center-back Cesar Montes to be a professional foul and also sent him off.
Klopp used the red card for Montes as a blueprint for his match assessment: «This situation describes the whole game a bit. It was tactically just bad. Not good from either team. It’s eleven against nine, and you run into a counter-attack. Why do you run into a counter-attack? (…) That was a general problem throughout the whole game. South Africa didn’t use it at all,» said the 58-year-old, who currently works as Head of Global Soccer for Red Bull.
Meanwhile, Streich analyzed: «One is actually surprised: Three red cards — but not much happened, there wasn’t the intensity I expected. I thought things would really kick off. But that wasn’t the case.»
With their opening win, Mexico has laid the foundation for advancing to the knockout stage. Their next match in the tournament will be against South Korea next week. South Africa, on the other hand, is already under pressure in their second group game against the Czech Republic.
Mexico vs. South Africa 2:0 (1:0) — Match Data for the 2026 World Cup Opening Game
| Match | Mexico vs. South Africa |
|---|---|
| Result | 2:0 (1:0) |
| Goals | 1:0 Quinones (9th min.), 2:0 Jimenez (67th min.) |
| Red Cards | Sithole (South Africa, 50th min.), Zwane (South Africa, 84th min.), Montes (Mexico, 90.+2 min.) |
| Group | A |
| Venue | Azteca (Mexico City) |