The FIFA World Cup tournament kicked off on Friday afternoon in Soccer City, a 95,000-capacity stadium in Johannesburg’s Soweto township. Host country South Africa played Mexico in the opening Group A match.

From the opening whistle, South Africa faced tough competition. Mexico’s Giovani Dos Santos came close to scoring after just four minutes, only to have his shot blocked. Then, with half time approaching, Mexico’s Carlos Vela scored a goal off team captain Gerardo Torrado's cross. But the referee judged it offside and the two teams ended the half 0-0.

South Africa broke the tie in the 55th minute with a goal from winger Siphiwe Tshabalala. This gave South Africa the lead but Mexico fought back and Rafael Márquez scored the equalizer after 79 minutes. In the final minute, it looked as though South Africa might claim victory when Katlego Mphela outpaced two defenders and aimed a left-footed shot at the Mexican goal from an angle. But the ball struck the near post, bounced off, and the game ended in a 1-1 draw. Next week South Africa will play Uruguay, while Mexico will play France.

Friday’s second match, between Uruguay and France in Cape Town, ended in a 0-0 draw. Uruguay's Nicolas Lodeiro became the first player to be sent off during the competition when he was red-carded for a brutal tackle on France's Bakary Sagna. He was sent off in the 81st minute, just 15 minutes  after coming on as a substitute.

The competition was officially opened on Thursday evening with a large concert in the Orlando Stadium in Soweto. South African President Jacob Zuma and FIFA president Joseph Blatter, together with 30,000 spectators, watched performances by South African artists and international stars. The line up included Shakira, Hugh Masekela and Alicia Keys. In his speech, President Zuma said "Africa is showing the world that it is capable of holding any matter of the world like any other region."

Former president Nelson Mandela did not attend the opening game. He was mourning the death of his 13-year-old great-granddaughter, who died when she was struck by a car on her way home from a concert on Wednesday evening.

The 91-year-old Mandela, still the nation's moral inspiration more than a decade after he stood down as president, did appear on a giant screen in the stadium with his words interspersed in a song that implored fans to "overcome all adversity".

© ANP/AFP