Madrid, Spain – Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp expressed his dissatisfaction with the technical level of the opening match of the 2026 World Cup between Mexico and South Africa, considering that the match did not reflect the value of the biggest global event in football.
The Mexican national team had started its journey in the tournament with a well-deserved 2-0 victory over South Africa, in the match that was held at the Azteca Stadium as part of the first group competitions.
According to the Spanish newspaper “AS”, Klopp spoke during his appearance as a technical analyst on a German channel, criticizing the tactical performance of the two teams and the mistakes that dominated the course of the match.
Klopp said: “Cesar Montes’ red card in the final minutes was a reflection of what happened throughout the match. Tactically, it wasn’t a good game, and both teams made many mistakes”.
The German coach pointed out that defensive organization was one of the most prominent weaknesses of both teams, explaining that the large distances between the players caused wide spaces to appear inside the field.
He added: “The performance was supposed to be more cohesive. The player who went into one-on-one situations did not find enough support from his teammates, which created recurring problems throughout the match”.
Klopp also criticized some of the Mexican team’s defensive decisions and positioning, especially in the play that resulted in Montes’s expulsion, despite the numerical disadvantage suffered by the South African team.
He continued: “It’s difficult to explain how a team playing with a numerical advantage could be subjected to a counter-attack in this way. The problem was the positioning of the deep defensive line, a point that appeared more than once during the match”.
Klopp concluded his remarks by emphasizing that the South African team did not exploit the obvious gaps in Mexico’s defense, despite the large spaces available to them, allowing the home team to emerge with a comfortable victory in the tournament’s opening match.
