Raúl Jiménez seals Mexico’s win against nine-man South Africa in World Cup opener | World Cup 2026

Was that it, then? Was Sphephelo Sithole being caught in possession nine minutes into the opening game, Julián Quiñones running on to lash the ball through Ronwen Williams’s legs, was that when the football took over, the moment when concerns over the aggression of the major co-host faded away and the world got on with celebrating the great festival of humanity the World Cup ought to be?

It…