Amid drone of 'vuvuzelas,' South Africa ties Mexico

BY LUIS SANCHEZ

EL NUEVO HERALD

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Mexico secured a 1-1 tie after it had come close to suffering the infernal outcome South Africa had pledged at the opening match of the first World Cup held on African soil.

With the constant drone of vuvuzelas (plastic horns) as a backdrop, the large majority of the 84,490 fans at the Soccer City Stadium and the entire continent had joined Siphiwe Tshabalala's celebration of his goal Friday, the first one of the Cup, which seemed it would give the hosts the victory.

It was not to be. Rafa Marquez tied it only 11 minutes before the final whistle, but El Tri struggled until the last moment after Katlego Mphela crashed the ball against the frame when El Tri's goalie, Oscar Perez, was all but defeated.

Now Mexico and South Africa both have one point on the board, and they are forced to win their next two matches to avoid elimination.

``We now have two do-or-die matches against France and Uruguay,'' said Mexico's Andres Guardado, who got into the game after South Africa scored. ``We are in a very tight group.''

Considered the host country with the weakest team in 80 years of World Cup tournaments, South Africa surpassed all expectations despite all the pressure and after an extremely nervous start.