How was Wilton Pereira Sampaio's performance at the opening of the World Cup

Wilton Pereira Sampaio had a calm first half, but faced a very busy second half in the opening match of the 2026 World Cup between Mexico and South Africa, at the Azteca stadium.

After an initial stage without complex moves and marked only by two yellow cards, the Brazilian referee became more demanding after the break. After just four minutes, he sent off South African midfielder Sithole for blocking a clear goal-scoring opportunity from Brian Gutiérrez on the edge of the area.

In the 36th minute, Wilton was called by VAR to review a move involving Zwane and Alvarado. After analyzing the images on the monitor, the referee decided to send off the South Africa midfielder for aggression by hitting his opponent in the face.

In stoppage time, the Brazilian once again made an important decision. In the 46th minute of the second half, he showed a red card to Mexican defender Montes after a foul in a one-on-one play. Wilton interpreted that the defender prevented a clear scoring opportunity and applied a direct expulsion.

The decision, however, was the most debatable of the match. Although the South African striker advanced towards the goal, there were questions about the position of other Mexican defenders in the play, which sparked debate about the characterization of the clear chance and whether Montes was, in fact, the last man.

Even in the face of a second half full of relevant disciplinary actions, Wilton Pereira Sampaio maintained control of the match. His performance was marked by his personality to make important decisions and the correct use of VAR in a match that ended up being much more demanding for the referee than the first half indicated.

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Source: CNN