Who played how and with whom?. In the opening match, Mexico easily defeated South Africa 2-0. Goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, for whom this is his sixth tournament (!), remained on the bench, but the youngest player of the tournament, 17-year-old Gilberto Moura, came on as a substitute (he was not yet born when Ochoa was already playing in the 2006 World Cup!). South Korea beat the Czech Republic 2-1, and lost during the match.
A separate fact from the fans. In the match between Mexico and South Africa, the referee (very bad in English) I turned In a separate meme) he showed three red cards: the Mexicans finished the match with ten men, and the South Africans with nine. For comparison: During the entire 2022 World Cup (64 matches!), the referees sent only four players off the field. So far, in the entire history of the World Cup, there have been only six matches with at least three deletions, and half of them happened in the same tournament – the 2006 World Cup.
What is discussed on social networks. At the opening ceremony yesterday, Shakira performed the official anthem of the tournament, which is the song “Day Day.” For the singer, this is already a World Championship appearance (by the way, even her ex-boyfriend Gerard Pique only participated in three), but not everyone is sure that it is her: on social networks Injury The theory is that he performed a stunt double in place of Shakira.
Arguments: sunglasses that were too big, a different hair color than usual, a suspiciously high height – and in general, she looked “somewhat different.” Defenders of the “real” Shakira. Barry: At the concert, a small scar on her forehead that the singer had before is clearly visible.
Non-football picture of the day. In Mexico, large-scale protests by teachers’ unions have continued for several weeks, demanding reform of pension legislation (retirement reform and the World Cup, this has already happened somewhere…) and salary increases. On the opening day of the tournament, the authorities cordoned off the area within a radius of one and a half kilometers from the stadium with police reinforcements.
Next in the program. After Mexico, the other two home teams enter the match. In the evening (22:00 Moscow time) Canada will meet Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in the evening (4:00 Moscow time) the United States will play Paraguay.
Full tournament schedule and detailed results – here.