With the 2022 FIFA World Cup approaching, which will be hosted by the State of Qatar and will take place on Arab soil for the first time in history, memory takes us back to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, namely the first match of the South African national team against Mexico in the first round of the group stage .

Attention was mainly focused on this match and hopes were pinned on the Bafana Bafana team in this tournament to perform well, taking advantage of the tournament’s presence on African soil for the first time in history.

But the task was not an easy one for a team that has a lot of experience and big names in the best European leagues, which is the team of Mexico, but the fans present at the stadium refused to support the South African team in the hope of achieving a dream start and winning their first match in the tournament.

Returning to the atmosphere of the match, caution certainly prevailed in the first half and both teams played motivatedly, for fear of getting an early goal that could tip the scales and dispel the maps and plans drawn before the match, and that caution continued until the end of the first half with zero draw.

But things were very different in the second half, and the match went up against the background of the great desire of the landlords and the public to achieve victory, gaining confidence in the first half and steadfastness before the Mexican control.

And in the 55th minute, in a typical counter-attack, South African star Sevoi Tshabalala managed to superbly score his country’s first goal of the tournament with a kick that everyone will remember. and to this day.

The goal woke up the Mexican team, who were looking to level the score, while the South African team relied on counterattacks, hoping to end the match with a second unexpected goal.

But the captain of the Mexican national team at the 2010 World Cup, Rafa Marquez, had a different opinion, and he managed to equalize the score for his country in the 79th minute.

The hype continued into the final minutes of the match, and South Africa almost snatched the winning goal in the last seconds, but striker Katligo Mwila’s shot hit the post, after which an exciting match ended in a draw with a goal. for the same, to the voices of the vuvuzelas that accompanied all the matches of the 2010 World Cup.

Will Qatar’s start at the 2022 World Cup be similar to that historic match, or will Annabi manage to win and end up missing out on the group stage?