World Cup opener serves up drama, goals and an early group shakeup

An Israeli reporter in Los Angeles describes the first World Cup matchday as unexpectedly entertaining, beginning with Mexico’s 2-0 win over South Africa and followed by South Korea’s 2-1 victory over Czech Republic. The Mexico match followed Shakira’s performance and, according to the article, started with Mexican pressure, an early chance after about five minutes, and a goal in under 10 minutes. Mexico then faded, but still controlled a one-sided game that could have ended 5-0. South Africa, which finished the opening round with zero points, also received two red cards, matching Cameroon’s record of two reds in a World Cup opener against Argentina in Italy in 1990, though Cameroon at least won that match.

The writer says Mexico’s biggest challenge is not South Africa or its other opponents, but Mexico itself, because home support can become paralyzing under pressure. Still, the team’s physicality and technical quality suggest it could reach the quarterfinals if it manages expectations and nerves. The article also notes that the first day of the tournament made it seem likely that all three teams in the group could beat South Africa, turning the race for the top two places into a contest between the other three sides.

The second game, watched at 5 a.m. by the columnist’s wife, began with Czech advantage in height and a scoreless first half, apart from a torn shirt for Pavel Šulc. In the second half, Czech Republic scored from a long throw-in, exposing South Korea’s weakness against aerial balls. The Koreans responded with a brilliant equalizer from Hwang Ui-jo, and later won it after repeatedly pressuring the Czech defense. The article says South Korea’s energy and skill can compensate for its lack of physical strength, but probably not enough to go far, predicting a possible exit in the round of 16.

The piece adds that a Czech offside goal was correctly disallowed, another Czech attempt was ruled out, and a technical sound problem on Kan 11 left viewers without commentary for part of the second half. In Guadalajara, some empty seats appeared late in the Mexican crowd as fans started leaving.