ATLANTA, U.S. – A confident late penalty from Teboho Mokoena has preserved South Africa’s hopes of making history by advancing to the FIFA World Cup knockout stage for the first time, after the African side forced a 1-1 Group A draw against the Czech Republic on Thursday.
The Czechs got off to a flying start in the match, with Michal Sadilek notching an early opener that put the European nation on track to claim just its second World Cup victory as an independent country. However, a handball in the box late in the second half opened the door for South Africa, and Mokoena converted the chance to level the scoreline, leaving both sides still in contention for a spot in the round of 16.
Following the draw, both nations sit on one point apiece, two points adrift of co-hosts Mexico and South Korea, who were scheduled to face each other later the same day in the group’s other fixture. For either side to advance to the knockout rounds, a win in their final group stage match is now a near-certain requirement. South Africa will wrap up its group play against South Korea, while the Czech Republic faces a daunting test against Mexico at the iconic Estadio Azteca.
Both teams entered Thursday’s fixture on the back of underwhelming opening-day defeats, but the Czech side moved quickly to reverse their poor early-tournament form. Bayer Leverkusen star Patrik Schick, the most high-profile player in a Czech squad that lacks the star power of past generations, missed a clear opening in the match’s first 60 seconds, sending a header wide of the target. It took just five more minutes for the side, managed by Miroslav Koubek, to break the deadlock nonetheless: Adam Hlozek delivered a cross into the box, Alexandr Sojka deftly cushioned the pass into Sadilek’s path, and the midfielder slid a calm shot past South African keeper Ronwen Williams to open the scoring.
South Africa is making its fourth World Cup appearance, but has never advanced past the group stage in its previous tournament runs. Head coach Hugo Broos has overseen a clear turnaround in the fortunes of Bafana Bafana since taking the helm five years ago: the 2010 tournament hosts had not qualified for a World Cup since 2002, but claimed a third-place finish at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations to book their return to the global stage. Still, their comeback tournament has exposed gaps in quality across the squad, especially in attacking positions.
The Czech Republic failed to capitalize on its first-half advantage, wasting multiple chances to put the game out of reach early in the second half. Vladimir Darida hesitated too long on a clear shooting opportunity, while a long-range strike from Lukas Cerv was tipped over the crossbar by a flying Williams.
The match, held at the Atlanta Falcons’ cutting-edge NFL stadium, drew thousands of empty seats despite being a World Cup group stage fixture. Fans in attendance did not hold back their displeasure with mid-half hydration breaks, even though the enclosed stadium was fully air-conditioned, greeting the pause with loud boos. The majority of the crowd in attendance were supporting South Africa, and their support finally paid off with seven minutes left in regulation time.
A shot from Thapelo Maseko struck the arm of Czech defender Pavel Sulc, and referee Tori Penso – a member of the match’s all-female officiating team – awarded the penalty. Mokoena stepped up and drilled his spot-kick home, scoring South Africa’s first World Cup goal in 16 years and leveled the match. Five minutes later, the African side nearly claimed a full three points, but Czech keeper Matej Kovar made a key save to deny Relebohile Mofokeng, locking in the 1-1 final score.
In the end, both teams left the pitch with a single point that could prove critical when Group A wraps up its final round of fixtures. The result leaves knockout stage hopes alive for both sides ahead of their final group matches.