A nine-man Bafana Bafana side fell 2-0 to 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosts Mexico in the tournament opener at the Estadio Azteca on Thursday.
Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez were both on target for the hosts, ensuring Mexico walked away with maximum points after a dominant display for Javier Aguirre‘s charges.
Broos opted for a sturdy 5-3-2 setup, a clear indication that he wanted to ensure defensive tightness while leaving two forwards upfront to spearhead the team’s counter-attacking transitions.
As expected, Mexico dominated early possession, looking to carve out an early opening goal to settle their nerves and alleviate the immense pressure on their shoulders.
El Tri came agonizingly close when Fulham forward Raul Jimenez unleashed a venomous strike from outside the box, but Bafana Bafana skipper Ronwen Williams produced a fine save to keep the scoreline level.
However, Mexico’s relentless pressure paid off in the ninth minute. Sphephelo Sithole was dispossessed in a dangerous area, allowing Julian Quinones to pounce and rattle the back of the net from the edge of the box to open the scoring.Â
Following the setback, South Africa found it incredibly difficult to mount a response, as the hosts suffocated the game and starved Bafana of the space needed to build up any meaningful opportunities.
Mexico lowered their intensity after the half-hour mark, but Bafana were still unable to capitalise or string together any forward movements.
Early in the second half, Mexico came close to doubling their lead when Williams made a mistake, gifting the hosts possession, but they failed to capitalise.Â
In the 49th minute, Bafana Bafana were reduced to 10 men when Sithole was shown a straight red card for a foul on Brian Gutierrez as the last man.
With the numerical advantage in their favour, El Tri piled even more pressure on the African side, leaving Bafana Bafana with very little opportunity to mount any meaningful attacks.
Mexico extended their lead to 2-0 when Jimenez headed home a precise cross from Roberto Alvarado, after the Bafana defense left the veteran striker completely unmarked.
In the 83rd minute, were further reduced to nine men when the substitute Themba Zwane was red carded for a foul on Edson Alvarez.
Bafana made several changes in the second half as Broos looked to spark a reaction, but the 1996 AFCON champions never looked close to making a comeback.
