
South Africa 2010 opened with two draws and plenty of talking points. FIFA.com looks at some of the numbers involved and spotlights players who achieved notable feats.
FIFA World Cup™ games have now been played by Mexico and they have the same number of points. They have 11 wins and 13 draws in those games.
Cuauhtemoc Blanco, who appeared as a 69th-minute substitute in the Opening Match, is the oldest player to have played for Mexico at a FIFA World Cup. At 37 years and five months, he is the fifth-oldest player competing at South Africa 2010.
years have passed since there was a goal in a game between France and Uruguay. Since their 1985 friendly in Paris, which ended in a 2-0 win to the home side, there have been three 0-0 draws.
host nations (including 2002 co-hosts Japan and Korea Republic), over the course of 19 FIFA World Cups, have never lost their opening match. There have been 13 wins – a run of seven in succession from Uruguay's first game in 1930 - and seven draws. Four of the draws have ended 1-1.
players have now featured in four FIFA World Cups, with Thierry Henry becoming the latest with his second half appearance in Cape Town. He is the first Frenchman to achieve the feat.
FIFA World Cup games have been played by Uruguay over the past four decades, with just one victory: a 1-0 defeat of Korea Republic at Italy 1990. Their last win prior to that came 20 years earlier at Mexico 1970, when they won twice en route to finishing fourth.
of the last 12 FIFA World Cup Opening Matches have featured two goals or fewer. The exceptions were 2006, when Germany beat Costa Rica 4-2, and 1998, when Brazil beat Scotland 2-1.
FIFA World Cup matches have now been played by Uruguay without the South Americans managing a first-half goal. They last did so in Mexico 1986 against Denmark - but ended up losing the game 6-1!
times now former FIFA World Cup winners have met in the first round, with six of those games ending as draws. With today's fixture, France and Uruguay became the first holders to meet on two occasions. The only two fixtures which resulted in victories were Brazil against England (1-0) in 1970, while that was also the score in England's favour when they faced Argentina in 2002.
years ago today, Uruguay played their last game in a FIFA World Cup. On 11 June 2002, La Celeste salvaged a 3-3 draw with Senegal after clawing back a 3-0 deficit.
is now Siphiwe Tshabalala's goal tally in a South African shirt, and Bafana Bafana have not tasted defeat in any of the seven games in which he has scored. Five have ended in wins.
Opening Matches have featured Mexico - a record - and they have still to taste victory in this inaugural fixture. They have lost three times - 4-1 to France in 1930, 4-0 to Brazil in 1950 and 3-0 to Sweden in 1958 - and drew 0-0 with the Soviet Union in 1970. Germany have played the second-highest number of tournament openers, with four.
goals have now been scored by Rafael Marquez at the FIFA World Cup. He also scored in Germany 2006, a sixth-minute goal that put Mexico ahead against Argentina in the Round of 16. Mexico eventually lost the game 2-1 after extra-time.
goals made it the first time in the four fixtures between South Africa and Mexico that there have been fewer than three goals. The three previous games were all played in USA, with Mexico winning the first two, 4-0 and 4-2, and South Africa extracting a measure of revenge with a 2-1 victory in 2005.








