If we are honest, as football fans, we needed this.
We needed an end to the gouging and the politicking and the shambles, to the power games and the bad faith actions of those who run the show.
What we needed was the show.
Thankfully that show has now begun and with the arrival of football the conversations can change a little.
Are Mexico contenders to win it all? No, not on this performance. And yet we can confidently say they will have the greatest home advantage of any team playing at this World Cup, not just because they have easily the most fervent support of the three co-hosts, but also the altitude and potentially the heat, which could benefit them against visitors to this beautifully chaotic, football-mad country.
And as football finally takes centre-stage, a word for the stage itself.
How magnificent is this glorious Estadio Azteca, blending the scale and steepling heights of the Bernabéu with the culture and traditional feel of the Maracaná. The way that top tier keeps rising into the sky, almost an exponential curve, creates a cauldron in which passion reverberates and the past echoes.
One of football’s true cathedrals, history seeps from its creaking, though recently cleaned, pores: Carlos Alberto’s galloping strike, Pele lifting the World Cup in 1970, the Hand of God, the goal of the century and Diego Maradona hoisting his own Jules Rimet all happened here. What a blessing.
In turn, what a crime to football that that final of this bloated tournament will take place at a soulless tin box in New Jersey rather than one of sport’s greatest and most historic arenas.
What a neat summation of the cultural barbarism Fifa has inflicted upon the tournament in the name of commercial gain.
The game, though. As discussed, Mexico didn’t send a message today but they did do what was necessary. It has become apparent in recent international breaks that Javier Aguirre would seek more control in games, hence his selection of Erik Lira in a holding role that had shades of an old-fashioned libero. Julian Quiñones may not be a household name around the world but he is Mexico’s best player, and he comes into the tournament positively brimming with confidence after finishing as top scorer in the Saudi Pro League. Given the talent there, that’s not an achievement to simply ignore.
It was he who had the first chance, which would have settled the nerves of a buzzing home crowd, only to go one better and successfully calm them in the ninth minute with the tournament’s opening goal. This wasn’t an iconic goal out of the Siphiwe Tshabalala drawer when these teams met in this same opening fixture in 2010. A heavy touch from Sphephelo Sithole gifted Mexico the goal from which they were always going to struggle to recover from, and when the South Africa midfielder got himself sent off minutes after the break, this game felt as good as over.
A second from an emotional Raul Jimenez secured the win, and Mexico were able to throw into the fray a few of the young talents who may, one would hope, end up making this team of relative control and calm a bit more energetic and exciting.
Gilberto Mora is chief among those. The youngest player at the tournament, and the only 17-year-old, he will be playing for one of Europe’s biggest clubs within the next year and is very much a player to watch. Armando Gonzalez replaced the veteran Jimenez up front as some would argue he should have done from the start. The Chivas youngster is another player destined for bigger things and likely Europe this summer.
Pining for these younger, more electric talents is not to say that Mexico played badly, far from it. But with the desire for control came what, at times, felt like circulation of the ball that was far too slow. César Montes’ late red card gives them an opportunity to try someone else at centre-back, perhaps the ball-playing Luis Romo, while there are also more attacking options available at right-back.
In the end though, Mexico did what was necessary. With the absurd format of this tournament they are already 94% likely to reach the knockout stages and the priority now must be winning the group in order to avoid a tough draw in the round of 32. Even winning the group and finding their way through a knockout game would likely set up a round-of-16 tie with England.
What a night that would be at this historic arena. And as the lights go out on the first match of this World Cup and we are ushered towards the exits, you can’t help but feel that just as football deserves better than Fifa, this stadium, the Colossus of Santa Ursula, deserves better than for its final World Cup match this time around to be in the round of 16.
It’s up to Aguirre to ensure the same is true for the Mexican team.
