2010 FIFA World Cup, Group A: Bafana Bafana and El Tri Battle To Opening Match Draw; Scoreless In Cape Town

The 2010 FIFA World Cup got under way on Friday in South Africa with two games, both in Group A.

At Johannesburg:

In the tournament's opening contest, hosts South Africa and Mexico battled to a 1-1 stalemate.  Siphiwe Tshabalala put Bafana Bafana ahead with his goal in the 55th minute, only to see Rafael Marquez equalize for El Tri in the 79th minute. Seen here are Mexico's Guillermo Franco battling Aaron Mokoena of South Africa for the ball.   You can find the stats here.

At Cape Town:

Ten-man Uruguay and France battled to a 0-0 deadlock in the opening group stage contest for both teams.  Here, we see referee Yuichi Nishimura showing the red card to Uruguay's Nicolas Lodeiro in the 81st minute, the first red-card ejection of this year's World Cup.


GROUP A STANDINGS:


1. Mexico (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
    South Africa (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)
3 France (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS 1)
    Uruguay (GP: 1; GD: 0; PTS: 1)