Opening Night at the Azteca

On the eleventh of June, the World Cup began again, and it began in Mexico City. The opening match filled the Estadio Azteca, a giant bowl of a stadium that has now hosted the start of three different World Cups. Mexico played South Africa, and the home crowd waited for a goal the way a city waits for rain after a long, dry week.

They did not wait long. In the ninth minute, Julian Quinones scored, and the noise rolled down from the high seats like thunder. The match grew rough as it went on. By the final whistle, the referee had shown three red cards, sending two South African players and one Mexican player off the field, a rare and wild sight even for a World Cup.

Raul Jimenez added a second goal late in the game, and Mexico won by two goals to nil. For the fans walking home through the warm evening, the score almost did not matter. The tournament had arrived in their city, in their stadium, and for one night the whole country felt like the centre of the football world.