Uruguay wins the group with 2 wins and 1 draw; Mexico finishes 2nd with 1 win, 1 draw, 1 loss.

Group A Fixtures & Results:

• Fri June 11 (Day 1): Mexico 1 South Africa 1
• Fri June 11 (Day 1): France 0, Uruguay 0
• Fri June 16 (Day 6): Uruguay 3, South Africa 0
• Fri June 17 (Day 7): Mexico 2, France 0

• Tues June 22 (Day 12): South Africa 2, France 1
• Tues June 22 (Day 12): Uruguay 1, Mexico 0

Standings

Team	MP	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
Uruguay	3	2	1	0	4	0	7
Mexico	3	1	1	1	3	2	4
South Africa	3	1	1	1	3	5	4
France	3	0	1	2	1	4	1

Video highlights and match summaries below.

The first World Cup held on the African continent opened on Friday, June 11 with two matches involving the 4 teams in Group A.  It was a day rich in footballing history.  As is traditionally the case, the host country played in the tournament’s opening match–in this case, the first African country to do so.  The other 3 teams in this group have rich World Cup histories:

• Mexico hosted 2 of the most memorable World Cups: 1970, in which Pele led Brazil to victory in his last World Cup; and 1986, the World Cup associated with Maradona, as he carried Argentina to victory;
• France, which hosted and won its first World Cup in 1998, and then finished runners-up to Italy in 2006;
• Uruguay, which hosted and won the first World Cup, in 1930, and won again in 1950, defeating the host Brazil in the final.

Day 1, Fri June 11: Mexico 1, South Africa 1

Mexico pressed early, generating numerous good chances off crosses, including a goal off a corner kick that was disallowed because of a somewhat unusual but correct offsides call: the South African goalkeeper came out to cut off the cross (but missed), leaving the South African defender on the goalpost as the last defender–hence the Mexican player that headed the ball in was offsides when the ball was deflected to him.

Mexico failed to score off their chances in the first half, and it was South Africa that provided the first goal of tournament in an electrifying moment early in the 2nd half: in the 55th minute, a quick combination in the midfield led to a long through pass down the left side of the field to Siphiwe Tshabalala, who took one touch to settle and push the ball forward, and then rocketed a left foot shot into the upper right corner of the Mexican goal.

Both sides each generated good scoring opportunities over the next 20 minutes, until Mexico equalized in the 79th minute, taking advantage of a South African defensive breakdown–a long cross from the left side into the penalty box found a single South African defender surrounded by 3 Mexican attackers (a failed offsides trap perhaps?). The ball dropped over the South African defender to an unchallenged Rafael Marquez, who slotted the ball home.

South Africa came tantalizingly close to taking the lead back and leaving with a victory in the 90th minute–the South African goalkeeper hit a long goal kick which fell behind the 2 Mexican defenders; South African forward Katlego Mphela got behind the defenders, headed the ball down, and shot–only to hit the near post and watch the ball bounce harmlessly away.

Both teams no doubt felt like they could have earned with 3 points with a win–Mexico as the favored stronger side, which generated more chances; South Africa as the host which had the lead and nearly took it back in the final minutes–but conversely both take away that important one point into their next match.

Day 1, Fri June 11: France 0, Uruguay 0:

Neither team was able to score off the few good chances they created. France should have taken the lead early: in the 7th minute Franck Ribéry took a ball down the left side, beat the Uruguayan defender and played a low driven cross in front of the goal and right onto the foot of Sidney Govou (“a French footballer of Beninese descent, who plays for Lyon and French national team”), who deflected the ball wide instead of into the goal.

Uruguay’s most prominent player is Diego Forlan, who has played for top clubs in Europe: Manchester United in England, Villareal and currently Athletico Madrid (and whose father played for Uruguay in the 1966 and 1974 World Cups). Forlan had a decent chance in the 16th minute, when he initiated a give-and-go on the left side, getting a through ball at the top of the penalty box, cut back toward the middle, and attempted to curl the ball toward the far post, but the shot was within reach of the French goalkeeper. Forlan had another good chance early in the 2nd half, when he beautifully chested down a long ball played to him in the French penalty box, but mistimed the volley off the bouncing ball and shot well high and wide.

His best chance, however–the one he really should have finished and is no doubt still regretting–came in the 73rd minute off a long Uruguayan throw-in into the French penalty box. Diego Suarez held off the French defender and deflected the ball back to an unmarked Forlan at the top of the box–who mishit the volley wide of the goal.

Day 6, Wed June 16: Uruguay 3, South Africa 0

Day 7, Thurs June 17: Mexico 2 France 0