RIYADH: Al-Qadsiah winger Julian Quinones got FIFA World Cup scoring off the mark as he netted the tournament’s first goal and helped co-host Mexico defeat South Africa on Thursday.
The 29-year-old attacker’s powerful low strike on the 9th minute helped the home side to a 2-0 victory at a packed Mexico City Stadium, in a game that saw 3 red cards.
One of the stars of the Kingdom’s top football league, The Saudi Pro League, Quinones’ 33 goals boosted Al-Qadsiah to a respectable 4th place finish this season, muscling their way amongst the big four.
After scoring, the Al-Qadsiah star cheekily mimicked South Africa’s Siphiwe Tshabalala’s opening-goal celebration against Mexico in 2010, when Bafana Bafana hosted the first World Cup contest in Africa.
In May, Quinones was on the scoresheet when Al-Qadsiah beat Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr 3-1 to complicate the Riyadh club’s race to the title. But a Ronaldo double on the last day of the season saw Al-Nassr crowned Saudi champions after a six year drought.
