Late Penalty Against Czechia Keeps South Africa’s World Cup Hopes Alive

Mokoena Saves Bafana But Set To Miss Final Match in Group A

After a disastrous opening match at the 2026 World Cup in which they had two players sent off and lost 2-0 to Mexico, South Africa needed a big response against Czechia at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta last night to keep their knockout-stage hopes alive. 

Hugo Broos, who came under fire for his tactics against El Tri, opted to revert to a more familiar formation last night, and it paid off, as Bafana Bafana carried greater threat in attack, recording 17 shots at goal, five on target, while maintaining 61% of the possession. 

However, South Africa were forced to come from behind after conceding a goal by Michal Sadilek in the sixth minute, marking the second match in a row in which they allowed a goal inside the first 10 minutes of play. Check out our 2026 World Cup predictions.

Still, Bafana continued fighting for the remainder of the match and finally got rewarded for their pressure in the 83rd minute when Czechia handled the ball in their own box. Teboho Mokoena stepped up and slotted away the penalty before the match ended at 1-1. 

Indeed, Bafana’s midfield enforcer was shown his second yellow card of the competition earlier in the match, meaning he will need to sit out their final Group A game against South Korea. Themba Zwane is also ruled out after his suspension was upgraded to three matches. 

With South Korea losing to Mexico later in the day, Group A is now wide open, with any of the three teams outside of El Tri still in contention to finish second, while the third-placed team could end on four points, which would likely be enough to make the Round of 32. 

2026 World Cup: Group A Standings Ahead of Final Matches

(Q) - Qualified for Round of 32

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