MEXICO 1 CAMEROON: Oribe Peralta Secures Three Points For Mexico

Mexico got their World Cup campaign off to a perfect start with a 1-0 win over Cameroon — but again the officials took much of the limelight.

The winner came just after the hour through Oribe Peralta, Mexico’s top-scorer in qualifying, who pounced on the loose ball after Charles Itandje had saved well from Giovani dos Santos to slot into the empty net.

But Mexico should already have been well in control of the match, with Dos Santos having two goals wrongly ruled out for offside before the break. Replays showed he was behind the last defender when latching onto a cross to fire home. And then he was adjudged offside from a corner when the ball had flicked off the head of a Cameroon player.


Mexico join Brazil on three points at the top of the group, after the hosts beat Croatia 3-1 in the curtain-raiser on Thursday in which the referee came in for much criticism.