All times local (UTC+2) South Africa vs Mexico South Africa vs Mexico was the
opening match of the World Cup, held on 11 June 2010. It was described as an "enthralling" and "pulsating" match. Mexico put the ball in the net first, but it was offside. South Africa opened the scoring in the 55th minute after
Siphiwe Tshabalala scored with a left foot shot to the top right corner of the net from the left of the penalty area after a pass through Mexico's defence by
Kagiso Dikgacoi. Mexico's captain
Rafael Márquez equalised following a
corner kick in the 79th minute with a shot to the right of the net from five yards out on the right. In the final minutes of the match,
Katlego Mphela almost scored a winning goal for South Africa, but his shot bounced off the post. This opening match will be played again as the opener for the
2026 FIFA World Cup on 11 June 2026, exactly 16 years later, with Mexico now hosting South Africa.
Uruguay vs France France and Uruguay faced each other on 11 June 2010 at the
Cape Town Stadium. Despite a
red card being given to Uruguay substitute
Nicolás Lodeiro in the second half, Uruguay were able to hold a "lacklustre" France to a 0–0 draw. After the match, former World Cup-winning French player
Zinedine Zidane criticised the French team and particularly coach
Raymond Domenech for a lack of teamwork. Domenech claimed after the match to be "happy with the overall performance".
South Africa vs Uruguay Uruguay took the lead in the 24th minute, when
Diego Forlán launched a shot from 30 yards out that beat goalkeeper
Itumeleng Khune, who did not attempt to save the shot. In the second half,
Luis Suárez was left through on goal, but he was brought down by Khune. Referee
Massimo Busacca awarded a penalty and showed Khune a red card. Anelka was subsequently dismissed from the squad, which resulted in many squad members, including captain
Patrice Evra, boycotting training in the lead-up to the final group stage match against
South Africa.
Mexico vs Uruguay France vs South Africa ==See also==