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MEXICO CITY, MEXICO – JUNE 11: Johan Vasquez #5 of Mexico reacts during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group A match between Mexico and South Africa at Mexico City Stadium on June 11, 2026 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)
It was mostly good news for Mexico as the team topped South Africa in the World Cup opener. Yet, there was one moment late that could end up proving costly for Mexico.
South Korea takes on Mexico in El Tri’s next World Cup game on Thursday, June 18. Mexico will be without a key player when El Tri takes the pitch against South Korea.
Defender César Montes earned a red card in stoppage time against South Africa. FIFA rules dictate that Montes will automatically miss the next match against South Korea via suspension.
Any player who receives a red card automatically misses the next game. The red card decision was not without controversy, but regardless, Montes will miss the next match.
For such an epic start to the FIFA tournament, Montes would likely love a mulligan as the match was just minutes away from ending when the red card occurred.
It was one of a record three red cards handed out in the Mexico-South Africa match. The game made history as the first World Cup opener to have three red cards as South Africa finished with just nine players on the field.
Who Will Start for Mexico in Place of Cesar Montes vs. South Korea
Mexico manager Javier Aguirre already has a plan to replace a suspended Montes in the upcoming World Cup match. Aguirre pointed to Edson Álvarez as the likely candidate to be inserted into Mexico’s starting lineup against South Korea.
“Edson will end up playing center back because of César’s expulsion,” Aguirre noted on June 11, per ESPN. “I opted for [Erik] Lira because Edson arrived with only four minutes of playing time.
“We put a lot of pressure on him, so he arrived prepared. I spoke with him about César’s red card, and it’s likely that Edson will play center back.”
Mexico World Cup Group Standings: El Tri Sits in 1st Place
The good news is that Mexico heads into the team’s second match tied for first place in Group D. Both Mexico and South Korea have three points, but El Tri holds the early tiebreaker thanks to a one point advantage in the goal differential.
Despite Montes’ absence, Mexico is a heavy favorite versus South Korea at -105 to win, per FanDuel. South Korea is an underdog at +310 while a draw is +230.
Should Mexico’s Cesar Montes Have Received a Red Card?
The final red card of the match caught plenty of fans and media pundits alike by surprise. Former Premier League referee Andy Davies weighed in on the red card decision on Montes.
“I was surprised by the on-field decision of a red card as I did not feel this was an obvious goal-scoring opportunity,” Davies wrote for ESPN. “For this to completely meet the threshold of DOGSO, the referee has be sure that the attacker’s next touch is going to be a shot on goal or his direction of play is directly in on goal.
“In my opinion, this situation did not completely meet the criteria required for a red card. The attacker’s next action was more likely to be a cross to his teammate as opposed to a shot on goal, making this a possible goal-scoring opportunity and not an obvious one.”
Jonathan Adams is a veteran sports contributor covering the NFL, NBA and golf for Heavy.com. His work has been prominently featured on NFL.com, Yahoo Sports, Pro Football Talk, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and Sports Illustrated. More about Jonathan Adams