'The Sky's the Limit', Says Mexico's Lira After Win In World Cup Opener

Mexico City: Mexico midfielder Erik Lira said the "sky is the limit" for the ​hosts after they overcame the emotion of opening ‌the World Cup with a 2-0 win over South Africa at the Azteca Stadium on Thursday.

Mexico prevailed with goals from Julian Quinones and ​Raul Jimenez in a match they finished ​with 10 men after captain Cesar Montes was ⁠sent off, though they were rarely troubled.

It was their ​first victory in the tournament's opening match after seven ​previous failures.

"This was an emotionally difficult match because we don't experience something like this many times in life," Lira, who provided ​an assist, told reporters.

"It was a complicated moment, but ​we all worked on the mental side so it wouldn't affect ‌us ⁠and so we could do our job as well as possible."

The match, which featured three dismissals, set a record for the most red cards in an opening ​game at ​a World Cup.

"It ⁠was important to get the three points and luckily we managed to do ​that," Lira said. "Now we have to make ​sure everyone ⁠is at 100% to prepare for the second match and get the three points again.

"The sky is the ⁠limit. ​We're not going to settle for ​anything." Mexico next face South Korea in Group A on Thursday.

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