Mexico and South Korea get off to winning ways
The World Cup is underway with both Mexico and South Korea winning their opening games, as the US and Canada prepare to play later, reports BritPanorama.
Co-hosts Mexico comfortably saw off South Africa, in a contest which saw three players sent off. A 2-0 win for Mexico against South Africa places the co-hosts at the top of Group A on goal difference.
Julian Quinones scored the first goal of the tournament with a fantastic right-footed strike, and Raul Jimenez added a trademark header to solidify the victory. Meanwhile, South Korea came from behind against the Czech Republic, after Wolves’ Ladislav Krejci opened the scoring for the European side.
An equaliser from Hwang In-beom and the winner from substitute Oh Hyeon-Gyu helped South Korea to their first victory of the tournament, leaving them in second place in the group.
To come later today, Canada kicks off their campaign against Bosnia and Herzegovina at 8pm. In Group D, America faces Paraguay at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles from 2am.
Canada are up first at 8pm, playing Bosnia and Herzegovina, who qualified for the tournament with a sensational victory against Italy on penalties. The US, aiming to improve on their performance four years ago in Qatar when they reached the round of 16, will look for a winning start against Paraguay, a team that has not been in the tournament since 2010.
As the tournament progresses, anticipation builds among fans as they watch teams adapt and evolve on the world stage, with every match a chance for glory or disappointment.