Aguirre after Mexico–South Africa: "Some players' legs started shaking"

Javier Aguirre, coach of Mexico, reacted with mixed feelings after the 2-0 win over South Africa in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup. Although the three points were scored, the trainer thought the margin was too small.

"The match should have ended 4-0. It is always important to start with a win, but we can and must play better," said Aguirre, quoted by Sport.es. “We lacked some ambition, some goals and we should have been better in the first half.”


According to the Mexican national coach, the atmosphere in the final phase weighed heavily on his team. "In the second half we saw a decline due to the atmosphere. It was an incredibly tense environment and some players' legs started to shake. They are young; they had to experience this."

Despite the win, Mexico is looking ahead to the remaining two group matches. South Korea and the Czech Republic are still waiting in the group stage.

Aguirre emphasized that the bar must be raised in the remainder of the tournament, so that Mexico's dominance is also reflected in the score.