South Africa nearly made a perfect start to the World Cup on Friday, scoring early in the second half before conceding a late goal in a 1-1 draw with Mexico in the opening match of the tournament.
Rafael Marquez provided the heart-breaking equalizer after Andres Guardado floated in a left-footed cross from the left. The unmarked Marquez controlled the ball and side-footed it into the net in the 79th minute.
Siphiwe Tshabalala had given the host nation a dream start, finishing off a well-worked move in the 55th to set off wild celebrations at Soccer City among the more than 90,000 horn-blowing fans.
The hosts strung together a fine series of passes from inside their own half and Kagisho Dikgacoi found Tshabalala clear of the Mexican defense. With no one in support, the winger let fly with a powerful left-footed angled shot which flew past the goalkeeper into the far corner.
"It was a great goal, very special for me," Tshabalala said. "It was something of a present because I was celebrating my 50th appearance."
The South Africans came close to scoring a winner in the 90th when Katlego Mphela got clear of two markers but his shot hit the near post.
"That could have been the killer goal," Tshabalala said. "It would have been a great goal. There's nothing we can do about it."
oint. "We could easily have won the game," the Brazilian coach said. "All in all at the end a draw is a fair result. We are still in the competition. This group is very tough."
The first World Cup match to be staged on the continent followed a day of celebration throughout all of Africa - though the excitement was tempered by the death of Nelson Mandela's great-granddaughter in a car accident on the eve of the tournament.
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