RIYADH: Al-Qadsiah winger Julian Quinones scored the first goal of the World Cup on Thursday to help co-host Mexico defeat South Africa.
The 29-year-old attacker’s powerful low strike in the ninth minute helped the home side to a 2-0 victory at a packed Mexico City Stadium, in a game that had the referee hand out three red cards, with two going against South Africa.
One of the stars of the Saudi Pro League, Quinones’ 33 goals boosted Al-Qadsiah to a respectable fourth-place finish this season.
After scoring, the Al-Qadsiah star cheekily mimicked South Africa’s Siphiwe Tshabalala’s opening-goal celebration against Mexico in 2010, when Bafana Bafana hosted the first World Cup contest in Africa.
In May, Quinones was on the scoresheet when Al-Qadsiah beat Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr 3-1 to complicate the Riyadh club’s race to the title. But a Ronaldo double on the last day of the season saw Al-Nassr crowned Saudi champions after a six-year drought.
Quinones is contracted to the Dammam team until the 2027/28 season.
From the Prince Mohamed bin Fahd Stadium in Dammam, Al-Qadsiah’s home, to the iconic Azteca, Quinones will be keen to repeat his club exploits for his country.
The Mexican, who arrived in Dammam in 2024, has racked up an impressive 62 goals from just 68 games.
He has appeared 23 times for his nation and scored one goal, but his 80 minutes in the World Cup opener means he will be a key feature in Mexico’s next two group games against South Korea and Czechia, as the co-host seek to go deeper in the competition.
