Mexico surpassed South Africa in practically all statistics in the match this Thursday (11), at the Azteca Stadium, their first World Cup victory, 2-0. One of the exceptions was the number of red cards: the South African team played with nine players, after the expulsions of Sithole and Zwane, until Mexican captain Montes also received a card at the end of the second half.
The score was only not more elastic because the hosts failed to aim. Of the 16 total shots, nine came from inside the area, indicating ease of infiltration in the attack, but only four were on target.
Eight minutes into the game, Julián Quiñones shot low from the edge of the box to score the first goal of this edition of the World Cup. The victory was never threatened — the South Africans had fewer total shots, just three, than the Mexicans’ shots on goal. The first on target came only in the 44th minute and came from defender Mbekezeli Mbokazi, who tried from very far away.
In addition to dominating ball possession (61% to 39%), Mexico was better in passing accuracy (90% to 81%), especially in the attacking sector (82.5% to 60%) and in ball disputes (60% to 41%).
Reacting to the pressure, the South African defense made 17 cuts (interceptions of an opponent’s throw or pass), two more than the hosts, who reached the second goal in the middle of the final stage after a header from Raúl Jiménez.
In terms of tackles, the South African team was also superior: there were 14 against 12 for the Mexicans.
The number of fouls was more balanced: 11 committed by the home team and 12 by the visitors. In addition to the two reds for South Africa and one for Mexico, Brazilian referee Wilton Pereira Sampaio repeated the 2-1 decision for the Africans in relation to yellow cards.
