France's Domenech embarasses a nation

Adding his own insult to his injuries, France coach Raymond Domenech refuses to shake South Africa Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira's hand.

South Africa scores first in draw with Mexico

Siphiwe Tshabalala of South Africa celebrates scoring the first goal of the FIFA World Cup.

Siphiwe Tshabalala scored in the 55th minute, but Mexico's Rafa Marquez responded with 11 minutes left in regulation as South Africa and Mexico battled to a 1-1 draw in the opening game of the FIFA World Cup Friday in Johannesburg.

The main story line
The majority of critics predicted prior to the tournament that South Africa was destined to become the first host nation in the 80-year history of the World Cup not to make it out of the first round. Many thought they would lose all three of their games, so a loss in their opening match against the Mexicans seemed to be foregone conclusion. But Bafana Bafana showed great resolve and commitment in earning a shocking 1-1 draw and proving the pundits wrong.

The turning point of the game
Mexico was all over South Africa in the first half, and it appeared as though it would only be a matter of time before the hosts would concede. But Tshabalala's goal 10 minutes into the second half revitalized the Bafana Bafana, as they began to play with more confidence and conviction.

What this result means
A loss would have delivered a hammer blow to the World Cup hopes of both teams, and made it an uphill battle to qualify for the second round. With one point each, South Africa and Mexico are still firmly in the mix in Group A and can go a long way to clinching a spot in the round of 16 with a win in their next games.

Man of the match
Siphiwe Tshabalala will garner all the headlines for his goal, but if not for the efforts of South African goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune, the host nation could have easily lost this game. Khune came up with big stops on Guillermo Franco in the first half and on Giovani Dos Santos in the second to keep Bafana Bafana in the match.

Goal of the match
South Africa launched a quick counterattack and Tshabalala snuck in behind the Mexican defence, using his speed to catch up a through ball before bursting into the penalty area. From there, the South African calmly strode forward before blasting a left-footed shot into the roof of the net past helpless Mexican goalkeeper Oscar Perez.

Save of the match
Mexico should have opened the scoring in the 32nd minute when Franco controlled the ball deep inside the box and tried a chip shot. But Khune spread himself wide and robbed the Mexican striker by sticking out his hand.

Mexico should have opened the scoring in the 32nd minute when Franco controlled the ball deep inside the box and tried a chip shot. But Khune spread himself wide and robbed the Mexican striker by sticking out his hand.

Will England show up to play?

South African teenagers in red Liverpool jerseys and Manchester United sweatshirts jumped up and down with vuvuzela-blowing compatriots wearing Bafana Bafana shirts. They were all shrieking the names of England’s players: Gerrard. Rooney. Terry. Especially John Terry.

“I think we realized today it’s another step up actually in game mode,” said Terry, the Chelsea captain. “Coming here, getting changed in the kit, and the stadium as well. We’ve enjoyed that part of it.”

Chelsea is big here. The Premier League champion is an international brand with well-known African spokesmen: Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Jon Obi Mikel. The latter two won’t be playing in the World Cup, and Drogba might not either, but Terry will. Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and the host team have little chance to win the championship. But England might.

The older South African fans here at Moruleng Stadium in North West Province, a mining area, were mostly men, dressed in slacks or jeans and collared shirts. They were supporting the local team, Platinum Stars, who were given a dream assignment: Give the guys from England a run around.

Firm applause and baritone chants greeted the Stars every time they pushed forward or ventured a shot on goal, of which there were a few. The Stars, who finished 14th in the South African Premier League last season, did their best, but they were no match for the Premier League players of England.

“It wasn’t a case of us coming here and wanting to win 8- or 9-nil, or 4- or 5-nil,” Terry said after England won, 3-0. “We were coming here to get the right preparation and take a lot of things from the game.”

“I’m sure the manager will look back on the first half, especially, and not be happy with that,” said Terry, who was among 10 starters substituted at halftime. “I’m sure we’ll sit down and go through it like we do every game and dig a few holes in our performance.”

There were more than a few, and they did not escape the notice of the United States assistant coaches watching from the stands. The Americans will face England on Saturday in nearby Rustenburg.

“I feel like I know these guys so well already,” one U.S. assistant coach said before making his way out of the stadium ahead of the crowd.

The scouting report he will deliver to Coach Bob Bradley won’t say anything new, but it will confirm some suspicions:

*Center back Ledley King, who has chronic knee problems and trains only two days a week, is less intimidating than Rio Ferdinand, the injured England captain.

*Michael Dawson, King’s Tottenham teammate and Ferdinand’s replacement on the roster, might have had a great season with Spurs, but he needs to find his international footing with his England teammates.

The game re-emphasized other things:

*Aaron Lennon is more dangerous on the right wing than Shaun Wright-Philips because he can run at defenders and effectively cross the ball, while Wright-Philips can only do the former. The pace of either Lennon or Wright-Phillips will be a challenge for the American captain Carlos Bocanegra, who is expected to play left fullback on Saturday.

England Coach Fabio Capello will give his players a detailed assessment of their performance, and he is likely displeased.

Each time a ball was misplayed or an England player was out of sync with a teammate, one of them looked over to the bench at a visibly perturbed Capello. This happened often. England was slow, which was what this mismatched game prescribed. Is that the best preparation five days before the start of the World Cup?

“The manger is a great coach and all he wants to do is win,” said Jermain Defoe, who scored England’s first goal. “He gets you fired up before the games.”

The only England player who didn’t seem to care what the coach thought of him was Rooney. He came on at halftime and played as if it were a cup final. Rooney has no dimmer switch – it’s either on or off. He worked the referee, went in for tackles when he lost the ball and even earned a yellow card before scoring England’s final goal.

Rooney is a known quantity. Unknown is who will start alongside him up front against the United States. It was Emile Heskey on Monday, and he was active. But Defoe scored, in the third minute, and Peter Crouch is a tall, complementary player who won’t get in Rooney’s way. He likes to play higher up, while Rooney, who prefers to get a lot of touches on the ball, prefers to come back into the midfield to get it.

The only field player who played both halves of the game was Joe Cole, on the left flank. James Milner, who came on in the second half, was quick, but appeared to occupy the same space on the field as Cole. It’s unlikely that they will be in the same lineup, but both could play against the United States.

What do you expect from England on Saturday? Does Capello have the team wound too tight? Or will he get them in sync and match ready?

www.nytimes.com