South Africa secured a place in the World Cup knockout phase for the first time with a narrow 1-0 win against South Korea on Wednesday night. Thapelo Maseko scored in the 63rd minute with a precise cross from Tshepang Moremi, leading South Africa to finish second in Group A behind Mexico, who won all its group-stage matches.
The victory sets South Africa against Canada, the second-place team in Group B, in a knockout match set for Sunday in Inglewood, California. Maseko, who plays for Mamelodi Sundowns, impressively took five shots during the match and leads his team with eight shots in the tournament thus far.
When reflecting on his achievement, Maseko shared, “The one thing I would say is ‘keep dreaming.’” South Africa began the World Cup with a 2-0 defeat to Mexico and secured a dramatic 1-1 draw with the Czech Republic before needing a win against South Korea to advance. The team had previously struggled to move beyond the group stages in 1998, 2002, and as hosts in 2010.
South Africa’s head coach Hugo Broos praised his team’s resilience throughout a challenging start to the tournament. He remarked, “The mentality in this group is amazing. Everybody is working for everybody. We are not afraid of other teams.” Sphephelo Sithole, who overcame an early red card in the match against Mexico, returned as a starter and contributed to maintaining a clean sheet.
Maseko missed two early opportunities to score before successfully finding the net. The 22-year-old received a cross on the right, maneuvered inside, and struck a low shot through a defender’s legs into the bottom corner. This goal marked his first in a World Cup, leading to a celebration with his teammates.
Coach Broos, 74, expressed mixed emotions at the final whistle, acknowledging the win and its significance for his career. “(The final whistle) for me was a rush of emotions not only because we won the game, but also because it will probably be one of the last games of my career. When you can end a career in this way, I think every coach dreams of it,” he stated.
South Korea’s coach Hong Myung-bo’s decision to start Son Heung-min as a substitute surprised some. Hong explained he intended to introduce Son once South Africa’s defenders tired. “If I knew the result beforehand, I probably would have made some different choices,” Hong admitted. The Taegeuk Warriors, who started their World Cup campaign with a comeback win over the Czech Republic, remain hopeful to advance, depending on other game outcomes.
South Korea historically reached the World Cup knockout round as an Asian team in 2002, finishing fourth, and progressed to the round of 16 in 2010 and 2022.