South Africa reach knockouts for first time, Korea out

Darwin, 25 june: South Africa booked their place in the FIFA World Cup knockout stage for the first time in history after pulling off a shock 1-0 victory over South Korea in their final Group A match on Wednesday in Guadalupe, Mexico.

A second-half goal from Thapelo Maseko proved decisive for Bafana Bafana, who sealed a historic passage to the last 32 despite beginning the tournament with a defeat. Maseko found the net in the 63rd minute, converting from a cross delivered by Shapeng Moremi.

The win was enough to send South Africa through as Group A runners-up behind Mexico. They will now face Group B runners-up Canada in the knockout round on Sunday in Inglewood, California.

South Africa had never progressed beyond the group stage in their previous World Cup appearances in 1998, 2002 and 2010. Their campaign in this year’s tournament also started on a disappointing note with a 2-0 loss to Mexico. However, a late equaliser in a 1-1 draw against the Czech Republic kept their hopes alive heading into the final group game.

Before the match against South Korea, South Africa were sitting behind both Mexico and the Koreans in the standings. But in a dramatic turnaround, they produced one of the biggest upsets of the group stage to secure a place in the knockout rounds.

South Korea had opened their campaign with a 2-1 comeback victory over the Czech Republic before suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat to Mexico in their second match.

The Taeguk Warriors have a proud World Cup history, becoming the first Asian team to reach the knockout rounds in 2002, when they famously finished fourth on home soil. They also advanced beyond the group stage in 2010, reaching the round of 16.

This time, however, it was South Africa who made history, as Bafana Bafana finally broke through the group-stage barrier and earned a place among the final 32.