There were compelling reasons for the dismissals in Mexico vs South Africa, says The Athletic's refereeing expert Graham Scott

Mexico's win over South Africa on Thursday broke a record many may have not seen coming as the glass ceiling for red cards in a World Cup opener was smashed.

Nine-man Bafana Bafana found themselves on the wrong side of history after a fiery 2-0 opening-day loss to Mexico shattered 32-year discipline records.

For the tournament, we are taking a look at the major incidents to examine and explain the process in terms of both VAR protocol and the laws of the game.

Three players were sent off in the World Cup opener as Mexico beat South Africa 2-0. Are we about to see a World Cup littered with red cards?

Red card punishment explained as opening game is overshadowed - History was made in tournament opener - but for all the wrong reasons