South Africa made history on Friday by defeating South Korea 1-0 to secure a place in the knockout stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup for the first time. Thapelo Maseko scored the decisive goal in the second half, steering Tshepang Moremi's cross into the bottom-right corner from 15 yards out to secure a famous three points.
South Africa's Historic Victory
South Korea entered the match needing only a draw to advance to the next round, but they could not find an equalizer. They must now wait on other results to see if they progress as one of the best third-placed teams. The victory ensured South Africa finished second in Group A behind Mexico. They will face co-hosts Canada, who finished second in Group B, on Sunday in Inglewood, California.
Mexico's Perfect Group Stage
In the same group, co-hosts Mexico scored three second-half goals to complete a perfect group record with a 3-0 win over a disappointing Czech Republic. Goals from Mateo Chavez, Julian Quinones, and Alvaro Fidalgo made it three wins out of three for Mexico, condemning the Czechs to an early exit at the bottom of Group A.
Denis Visinsky flashed an early effort wide for the Czech Republic, but it was a rare opening in the first half in Mexico City. Mexico, who made several changes with top spot in the group already guaranteed, overplayed after a break with nobody willing to pull the trigger. They had to wait 36 minutes for a shot – Israel Reyes launching an ambitious overhead kick wide from the edge of the box.
Second-Half Surge
David Doudera and Julian Quinones traded long-range efforts over the bar before the break, with Jorge Sanchez forcing a first save from Matej Kovar. Mexico soaked up some early, if largely unthreatening, pressure after the break and struck with two goals in six minutes before the hour. First, Mateo Chavez rounded off a quick break after being released by good work from Luis Romo; Quinones added a second from close range after a clearance rebounded off Sanchez once his initial effort was blocked by Kovar.
Mexico had the luxury of bringing 40-year-old goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa off the bench to appear in a fourth World Cup. Alvaro Fidalgo rounded things off as he lashed home a loose ball in stoppage time after Kovar denied Santiago Jimenez.
Additional reporting by Press Association.
