MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexico made a striking entrance into the largest World Cup in history, captivating the passionate home crowd at the iconic Azteca Stadium. The opening match of the first-ever 48-team tournament was particularly significant, following the national team's disappointing elimination from the group stage four years prior in Qatar.

Facing immense pressure and high expectations, Mexico's players rose to the occasion, defeating South Africa 2-0. The match was notable not only for Mexico's victory but also for the issuance of three red cards, an unprecedented occurrence in a World Cup opening match.

Head coach Javier Aguirre, a player in Mexico's last World Cup hosting in 1986, emphasized the importance of this moment. "I made an effort to explain to them what a World Cup and an opening match on home soil meant, but they are young and had to experience it for themselves," Aguirre stated. "Now, I can no longer talk about my experience; they already know what it's like."

Julian Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez were the goal scorers for Mexico, marking a positive reclamation from the previous tournament’s results. Jiménez’s goal also marked his first in three World Cup tournaments, while it elevated him to second place in the all-time scoring list for Mexico, tied with Jared Borgetti and just six goals shy of the leader, Javier "Chicharito" Hernández.

The match attracted a full house of 80,824 spectators, with Mexico taking an early lead in the ninth minute thanks to Quiñones’ goal. In the 66th minute, Jiménez extended the lead with a header. Aguirre acknowledged that while the first half was below expectations, they could have led by more than three goals without complaint given their superiority in play. Post-match, he remarked, “Starting with a win is good, and we can certainly improve."

In contrast, South Africa's performance suffered greatly with two players, Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane, receiving red cards. This left the team to finish the match with only nine players, while Mexico's César Montes received a red card during injury time. The three red cards matched the most issued in a World Cup match since four were handed out when Portugal faced the Netherlands in the 2006 tournament.

South Africa's coach, Hugo Broos, acknowledged the gap in performance levels, stating, "This level is much higher than whatever level we played before. We played a good team, and we played a good game. I saw a desperate Mexico. We must improve in the next days. We’ll get over the disappointment."

Quiñones, who was born in Colombia, impressed as the top scorer in the Saudi league this past season and was among six players who made their World Cup debuts for the Mexican national team, El Tri.

With this victory, Mexico now holds three points in Group A. Their next match will be against South Korea on Thursday in Guadalajara, while South Africa is set to play the Czech Republic in Atlanta on the same day. Aguirre pointed out the importance of maintaining focus, stating, "It would be important to win the group, but right now the only thing we’re thinking about is the match against Korea – being better than them and trying to win. We’re going to take it step by step and see what the future holds."

For continued coverage of the World Cup, visit AP's World Cup coverage.

— Carlos Rodriguez, The Associated Press