North and Central America World Cup Kicks Off; Mexico Wins Opening Match

[Anchor]

The world's biggest football festival, the North and Central America World Cup, has officially begun. Amidst a spectacular opening ceremony, host nation Mexico—who is in Group A alongside South Korea—defeated South Africa in the opening match to claim the tournament's first victory.

Reporting by Yu Byeongmin.


[Reporter]

The North and Central America World Cup opening ceremony began amidst the roar of a capacity crowd of 80,000 at Mexico City Stadium.

Performances symbolizing Aztec culture took place as the World Cup trophy rose from the center of the stage, and the atmosphere reached a fever pitch with performances by famous singers.

Soon after, the flags of the 48 participating nations entered in a procession, with the South Korean flag appearing second, following South Africa, as part of Group A.

The ceremony concluded with a grand performance of the official theme song, "DNA," sung by Lee Jae, who performed the theme song for K-Pop Demon Hunters, and opera singer Andrea Bocelli.

As the referee's whistle signaled the start of the opening match between Mexico and South Africa, the stadium was filled with thunderous cheers. Fueled by the passionate support of the home crowd, Mexico scored the opening goal just 9 minutes into the first half.

Intense forward pressure forced a mistake from the South African defense, allowing Quiñones to steal the ball and fire a powerful right-footed shot into the net.

Continuing to pressure South Africa, Mexico gained a numerical advantage in the 3rd minute of the second half when South Africa's Sithole was sent off. In the 22nd minute of the second half, a header by Jimenez sealed the victory.

In the 39th minute of the second half, South Africa's Zwane was sent off for striking an opponent in the face, and in second-half stoppage time, Mexico's Montes received a red card for a rough tackle. Despite the ejections, Mexico secured a 2-0 win, becoming the first team to claim victory in the tournament.

(Video by Park Ki-deok)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.