Coach Jurgen Klopp criticized the quality of the opening match of the 2026 World Cup - Photo: REUTERS
In the opening match of the 2026 World Cup, Mexico easily defeated South Africa 2-0. The Central American hosts even played with a man advantage for most of the match.
Mexico opened the scoring through Quinones in the 9th minute, capitalizing on a mistake by the South African defenders.
In the 50th minute, South Africa lost their first player when Yaya Sithole received a red card. Then, in the 84th minute, Themba Zwane was sent off, leaving South Africa with only nine players. Although Mexico also lost Cesar Montes in the 90+2 minute, it wasn't enough for South Africa to mount a comeback.
When commenting on the match, Coach Klopp particularly emphasized the red card shown to Mexico's defender Montes, who received his second yellow card and was sent off after a foul to prevent an opponent from entering the penalty area.
"This situation pretty much sums up the entire match. Tactically, it was a terrible performance! Simply not good from either team."
Mexico had 11 men against South Africa's 9, and then found themselves on the defensive against their opponents' attacks. Why? Because their defense just stayed deep. That was a common problem throughout the match. South Africa failed to take advantage of that," Goal.com quoted Klopp as saying.
Klopp's scathing remarks were widely shared on television channels, with many other experts agreeing that the opening match lacked top-level competitiveness.
Former German international Christoph Kramer expressed his disappointment at the lack of intensity in the match. He said: "You get the feeling that the game is very tense, and I also expected that intensity when spaces opened up."
But that's not actually the case. It's great that they're playing there, but it feels more like a charity match."
Veteran German strategist Christian Streich was also unimpressed, directly criticizing the African national team's lack of tactical discipline and fighting spirit: "I am disappointed with South Africa because I thought they would be better organized and show a higher fighting spirit."
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hlv-klopp-che-bai-world-cup-mo-man-te-nhat-20260612200345788.htm
