BAFANA BAFANA 1-0 SOUTH KOREA: MASEKO FIRES SOUTH AFRICA INTO WORLD CUP KNOCKOUTS FOR FIRST TIME
South Africa are going to the World Cup Round of 32. Hugo Broos’ Bafana Bafana edged South Korea 1-0 in their final Group A match yesterday at Estadio BBVA, booking a historic first-ever place in the knockout stages.
Maseko makes history in Monterrey
It was end-to-end stuff. Both sides created chances but lacked sharpness in front of goal until the 63rd minute.
Moremi laid the ball into the penalty area and Thapelo Maseko took one touch before firing into the lower far left corner. 1-0 Bafana, and the goal sent South Africa into the Round of 32.
Mexico beat Czechia 3-0 in the other Group A game, so the final table saw Mexico top with 9 points, Bafana finish 2nd on 4 points, South Korea 3rd on 3, and Czechia 4th on 1.
FT: South Africa 1-0 South Korea
FT: Mexico 3-0 Czechia
Group A final standings:
- 🇲🇽 Mexico 9pts +6
- 🇿🇦 South Africa 4pts -1
- 🇰🇷 South Korea 3pts -1
- 🇨🇿 Czechia 1pt -4
“They gave us 7% chance” – Maseko hits back at critics
Man of the Match Maseko etched his name into South African folklore with the winner. The 22-year-old winger admitted the achievement still hadn’t sunk in.
“It is unbelievable. It feels like a dream,” Maseko said. “But all credit goes to the guys. The defence gave everything today. This victory is for everyone who supported us — and even for those who didn’t.”
Then came the message for doubters after Bafana’s opening defeat to Mexico:
“They gave us only a seven percent chance of getting out of the group. But here we are. We went through a rough period. After the first game the media was bashing us. We became memes, we were trending, but this team showed its character.”
His message to the nation: “Thank you… and enjoy this moment.”
Broos: “We gave an answer to all those big mouths”
Bafana coach Hugo Broos was proud and defiant:
“I’m very proud of the performance of my team and I think we gave an answer to all those big mouths of last week that thought we had to change something. We just did what we had to do, we just did what I wanted us to do, and these are the results. I’m very happy for my group.”
Next up: Co-hosts Canada
Bafana Bafana will face co-hosts Canada in the Round of 32.
📅 Sunday, 28 June
🏟️ SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles
Bafana are staying another week in North America. From memes to knockout history.