Mexico survive red-card chaos to win World Cup opener as South Korea prepare for Czech test

Three players were sent off, two in controversial fashion, as co-hosts Mexico kicked off the World Cup with a 2-0 win over South Africa in a chaotic opening game at the Azteca Stadium. The result came after a star-studded opening ceremony featuring Shakira and Burna Boy set the tournament underway in style. BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton, who was at the stadium for BBC Radio 5 Live, had predicted a Mexico victory but struck a cautious note beforehand. “I'm not expecting too much from this Mexico team,” he said. “The co-hosts don't have many players from Europe's top five leagues and it feels like they are a bit mediocre going forward.” The onus, he noted, was on Raul Jimenez — the 35-year-old who has just rejoined Wolves from Fulham — to score goals, but Sutton argued “he is not the player he was”. Of South Africa, Sutton pointed out that Burnley striker Lyle Foster is their only player from the Premier League or Championship, with the rest of the squad based in their own league. “This will be close, but Mexico's home advantage gives them the edge,” he said. His pre-tournament picks for the group had South Korea as winners, Mexico as runners-up, the Czech Republic third and South Africa fourth. Now attention turns to Guadalajara, where South Korea — captained by Son Heung-min at his fourth World Cup — face the Czech Republic early on Friday. Sutton expects Lee Kang-in of Paris St-Germain to shine for South Korea, while describing the Czech Republic as “a pragmatic team but they are resilient too”, predicting they could pick up a point.