One left-footed finish from Thapelo Maseko turned a last-place starting point into history for South Africa, whose 1-0 South Africa-South Korea World Cup win sent Bafana Bafana into the knockout stage.
Before Group A's decisive night began, Mexico had 6 points at the top, South Korea sat second on 3, Czechia were third and South Africa were bottom. By full time at Estadio BBVA, Hugo Broos' side had flipped the table, moving to 4 points and second place while South Korea were left third on 3 and waiting on their fate.
Maseko punishes South Korea after Bafana pressure
The first half stayed 0-0, but South Africa had already shown where the danger was coming from. Maseko threatened early, won set-piece territory on the right and forced South Korea into urgent defending, while Kim Seung-gyu produced two sharp saves around the 31st minute to keep the game level.
The breakthrough arrived in the 63rd minute. South Africa broke at speed, Maseko met the moment in the middle of the box and finished left-footed to make it 1-0, turning the South Africa South Korea game from a qualification problem into a famous escape route.
South Africa expose Korea's control with sharper chances
The numbers made the result look even more striking. South Korea had 68% possession, 639 passes to South Africa's 273 and more corners, 6-4, yet that control did not translate into the better shooting profile.
South Africa produced 13 total shots to Korea's 8 and edged the attempts on target 4-3. The yellow cards finished 1-1 and the foul count was close, with South Korea committing 9 to South Africa's 7, underlining how tight the contest became after Maseko's goal.
Williams preserves South Africa as Korea surge late
South Korea pushed hard after the interval, introducing Son Heung-min at half-time and Cho Gue-sung later as they chased the equaliser. Their best late chance came in stoppage time, when Park Jin-seob powered a header toward the top corner in the 90+3rd minute.
Ronwen Williams flew left to keep it out, a save that protected the clean sheet and the result. Mexico finished top of the group on 9 points, South Africa advanced in second on 4 and are set to face Canada in the round of 32, while South Korea's third-place finish leaves them waiting.
Match Information
Competition: World Cup; Date & Time: Thursday 25 June 2026, 03:00 CET; Venue: Estadio BBVA, Monterrey; Referee: Facundo Raul Tello Figueroa, Argentina.
