&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "FIFA 2026 | How Jimenez defied death risk to score his maiden World Cup goal in Mexico's win")
Mexico started the FIFA World Cup 2026 with a thrilling 2-0 victory against South Africa at Azteca Stadium on Thursday (Jun 11) but no one was happier than Raul Jimenez. The 35-year-old striker could not have dreamt playing, let alone scoring a goal for his side in FIFA 2026 nearly six years ago when he suffered a ghastly head injury which could have left him dead. Jimenez, however, defied odds to not only overcome a death scare but score his first FIFA World Cup goal as well - Mexico's second on the night which made sure they remained unbeaten in World Cup matches at home. The match also saw three red cards but it doesn't take away anything from Jimienez's performance on the night.
How Jimenez scored his first World Cup goal?
The moment came in the 67th minute when he put the Roberto Alvarado's right-wing cross into the net to take his team 2-0 up. The goal was Jiminez's 46th in the 125 appearances for Mexico - joint-second most for the country and behind only Javier Hernandez's 52.
After the goal, Jiminez was mobbed by his teammates as more than 75,000 fans cheered at the stadium. The striker, after celebrating his goal, pointed to sky - in an appearant tribute to his father Raul Jimenez Vega who had passed away in March this year.
Speaking on the goal, Jiminez's teammate Julian Quinones, who scored the first goal of FIFA 2026 in the 9th minute of the match, said: "We really congratulated him because he gives a lot to the team. Being part of a team is our pride and it's wonderful he continues to add goals to his career as a player in our national team.
Jimenez's head injury details
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On November 29, 2020 Jimenez, playing for Premier League side Wolves, was involved in a head-on collision with Arsenal defender David Luiz which left him unconcious. He was treated on field first including receiving the oxygen as well as friends and family watched on nervously. He eventually made it back to the competitive football but his recovery was not easy as he was not allowed to play with other players for nearly six months. He scored his first goal for Wolves after injury at Southampton in September 2021 in the team's 1-0 victory.
How to watch and stream FIFA World Cup 2026 in India
Multiple group-stage matches that will take place simultaneously will be aired across WION's sister company Zee5 app and website.
