CORNERFLICK
Hugo Broos said he was satisfied with South Africa’s performance despite a 2-0 defeat to Mexico in their opening Group A match at the 2026 World Cup.
The Belgium-born coach said the first sending-off was clear, but argued the second was a different matter, insisting a Mexico player blocked his player’s run before the referee chose to dismiss him. South Africa finished the match with nine men.
Broos felt his team created problems for the hosts, especially after the opening 20 minutes, and said Mexico struggled at times to find a way through. He added that South Africa need to improve their play in possession before their next match.
He also pointed to two individual mistakes as the costliest moments of the night. According to Broos, South Africa lost the ball at the wrong times and Mexico used the spaces that followed to score both goals.