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Sphephelo Sithole of South Africa. Copyright: ImagoHeulerxAndrey\/DiaEsportivo<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Nigerian football fans took to social media to share their thoughts following South Africa\u2019s dismal 2-0 defeat to Mexico in the opening match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Thursday, Soccernet.ng<\/a> reports.<\/strong><\/p>\n \u200bThe tournament began in dramatic fashion at the Estadio Banorte as joint-hosts Mexico faced off against South Africa. Mexico dominated the proceedings from the opening whistle, securing a well-deserved victory. <\/p>\n Julian Qui\u00f1ones etched his name into football history by scoring the tournament’s opening goal. He capitalized on a defensive mistake from Ime Okon and rifled a low effort into the bottom-left corner. Still, Bafana Bafana struggled to gain a foothold, and their situation worsened significantly in the 49th minute when defender Yaya Sithole was sent off. <\/p>\n That red card gave El Tri the momentum they needed to control the game, and they eventually doubled their lead through Ra\u00fal Jim\u00e9nez.<\/p>\n \u200bThe final ten minutes were chaotic; Themba Zwane was dismissed for elbowing an opponent, and Mexico\u2019s C\u00e9sar Montes was also shown a red card for denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity (DOGSO). The match ended with a record-breaking three red cards, the most ever issued in a single World Cup game.<\/p>\n \u200bFor many Nigerians, the bitterness surrounding the Super Eagles’ absence\u2014largely due to their failure to beat South Africa in their qualifying group\u2014turned the match into a proper hate-watch. The recent spate of xenophobic attacks in South Africa also did not help their case.<\/p>\n Nigerian fans did not hesitate to revel in the Bafana Bafana\u2019s struggles, quickly taking to social media to banter their rivals.<\/p>\n \u200b\u201dWe clearly had an agent inside the South African team, though I kept quiet about it,\u201d Tokoni Iderima of Football Fans Tribe said .<\/p>\n \u201cIme Okon, thank you for your service; you\u2019re a Nigerian boy, and we know what you did. South Africa, I told you to go back home. You already know your World Cup journey is over after one game.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u200bAnother fan account, Let\u2019s Talk Football<\/a>, was equally scathing: \u201cSouth African players need koboko [a whip]. How do you break a 20-year-old record by collecting two red cards? In 80 minutes, they managed only four shots while accumulating two red cards and two yellow cards. Is that a professional team?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u200bThe critic continued, \u201cI said it: they will be the first African team to head home. They were completely disorganized and insisted on playing out from the back, which simply didn’t work. If not for [Ronwen] Williams, the scoreline could have been embarrassing. They played rubbish. This is not Amapiano; this is football.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \u200bMeanwhile, another social media user, The 97th King<\/a> commented on the gulf in class: \u201cThis game should have ended 4-0 at least. It looked like a junior secondary school team playing against seniors. South African fans were bragging before the game; I dare them to come outside now.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n \u200bJacklyn Ihuoma<\/a> added a note of irony regarding the South African-based Nigerian defender: \u201cThis Nigerian defender, Okon, you\u2019re doing well. Forgive us for shouting at you for choosing South Africa over Nigeria. You are representing us well\u2014ride on!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Soccer](\"https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/thumbor\/N_MuW5-77nP1aM44XpEWuDexiSw=\/5802x4048\/smart\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.soccernet.ng%2Fmain%2F2026%2F06%2Fimago1078417953.jpg\")
Soccer \u200bHow Nigerian Football Fans Reacted to South Africa’s World Cup Loss<\/h2>\n
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