A late penalty from Teboho Mokoena helped South Africa secure a 1-1 draw against the Czech Republic in Atalanta, maintaining both teams’ hopes for qualification from Group A in the 2026 World Cup.
After Patrik Schick missed an early header chance, the Czech team – making five changes following a 2-1 loss to South Korea that saw West Ham midfielder Tomas Soucek benched – took the lead in the sixth minute.
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Adam Hlozek collected a throw-in on the right, cut back to the edge of the box, where Alexandr Sojka set up Michal Sadilek, who finished expertly past South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams, marking the fastest goal of the tournament thus far.
South Africa, needing to respond after Themba Zwane was sent off in their first match against co-hosts Mexico at the Azteca Stadium, saw a 25-yard effort from Oswin Appollis deflected wide as they sought a response, which drew boos from fans at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium with its closed roof.
As the first half approached its conclusion, the intensity waned, but Thapelo Maseko managed to penetrate the right side of the Czech box; however, his angled shot was intercepted at the near post.
South Africa made a substitution for the second half, introducing Orlando Pirates forward Relebohile Mofokeng to revitalize their attack. Yet, it was the Czech Republic that nearly extended their lead shortly after the break.
Michal Sadilek opened the scoring early on (Getty)
Vladimir Darida had a close-range shot blocked, while Lukas Cerv’s long-range attempt was tipped over the crossbar. From the resulting corner, Bayer Leverkusen striker Schick then directed a header right at Williams.
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Another mid-half hydration break was met with jeers from the crowd before South Africa was awarded a penalty with nine minutes remaining due to a handball by Czech substitute Pavel Sulc, who had been struck at close range by Maseko’s shot. Mokoena confidently converted the penalty, placing it to the left and sending Matej Kovar the wrong way.
Neither team could clinch a late victory, as Evidence Makgopa shot directly at Kovar after turning sharply at the edge of the box. Both nations still harbor hopes of advancing to the last 32, with the Czech Republic set to face Mexico at the Azteca for their final group match, while South Africa will take on South Korea in Monterrey.
A hard-fought encounter ended level (Reuters)
South Africa’s coach Hugo Broos expressed that he felt “very proud” of his team. “Considering the reaction after our match against Mexico, this is a big improvement for Bafana Bafana,” he stated in his pitch-side interview aired on BBC One. “We displayed good football, were aggressive, created chances, but sometimes luck is needed too.
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“Now we don’t need to rely on others. Our focus is solely on winning against South Korea, a challenging task, but with our current mentality, it is within reach.”
On the other hand, Czech Republic manager Miroslav Koubek acknowledged that his team paid for not extending their lead against South Africa.
Czech boss Miroslav Koubek accepted the referee’s decision (Reuters)
“We regret the outcome because, based on the opportunities, we were closer to winning, but we failed to score the second goal which could have secured the match,” Koubek commented at the post-match press conference.
Regarding the penalty incident, Koubek remarked, “These situations can go either way. Today luck was not on our side. I accept the referee’s call, even though she awarded a rather strict penalty, it was right to call it a handball.”