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By Tyler Erzberger
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In one of the biggest sports days of the year, the World Cup is officially here, and Mexico played South Africa in the opening game of the prestigious event.
Who were the big winners on the day, and who will be having nightmares about the opening for years to come?
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Winner: Raúl Jiménez
In his fourth World Cup tournament, Mexico's 35-year-old star forward Raúl Jiménez finally scored his first goal. It was an emotional moment for the Mexican star, as you could see the weight lift off his shoulders in real time. While it wasn't the prettiest win for Mexico, it was a gigantic boost of confidence for a player they need to be at his best if they want to go far this tournament.
Loser: Fox
Although I enjoyed Fox's World Cup scorebug and thought the actual broadcast of the game was good, where was the opening ceremony?
Instead of showing the pomp and circumstance, Fox focused their studio show that is situated at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Tomorrow that building will be rocking for the United States against Paraguay, but today? It was Mexico's moment.
Oh, and fans aren't happy about the commercials during the hydration breaks, either.
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Winner: The Mexican Fans
From the venue to around Mexico to Los Angeles, El Tri fans ate good today.
While the first games of the tournament can be nervy, Mexican fans could celebrate from almost the first kick of the ball to the end with almost zero pressure mounted by South Africa throughout the entirety of the game. Mexico will have wanted to play better, but fans can take a gigantic exhale after years of anticipation. After not making the knockout rounds in Qatar, Mexico is almost assured a spot in the Round of 32 following their 2-0 win.
Loser: South Africa
Yeah, there's no sugarcoating this one: South Africa were terrible. Outright pitiful, to be honest. They looked overwhelmed by the crowd instantly, and instead of showing any sort of productivity, it felt like they were happy to string a few passes together before happily giving the ball back. It was bad.
Luckily for them, a single win almost guarantees a team into the knockouts unless one of their losses is a blowout. A win against South Korea or Czechia can save the tournament for South Africa. But if they play like they did on Thursday, they might as well start booking their tickets home.
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