South Africa Rescues Point as Mokoena Penalty Cancels Sadílek Opener
- Jason Longshore
- 6 minutes ago
- 6 min read
(Jon Nelson contributed to this report) Teboho Mokoena stepped up from the spot in the 83rd minute to rescue South Africa a share of the points, canceling out Michal Sadílek's sixth-minute opener as the two sides played to a 1-1 draw in World Cup group play. The draw left both teams with a result that satisfied neither, as they both go into their final group stage game needing a win against strong teams to have any hope of reaching the knockout round.
First Half: Sadílek Punishes a Stunned South Africa
Czechia showed their quality off the ball from the opening whistle. Patrik Schick dropped into the build-up play before getting free on the back post on a looping cross in the first minute, only to flub the header weakly and wide of the near post. The miss did nothing to slow Czech momentum. A corner followed in the second minute, and another aggressive set piece from 40 yards in the fifth brought nine Czech players forward and earned another corner. Ronwen Williams got hands to the delivery but it deflected out to the top of the 18, where a volley attempt from Michal Sadílek was hit poorly and wide.
Then came the goal, and it arrived exactly the way the early pattern suggested it might. South Africa tried to play out from the back, Czechia's pressure forced a turnover near the touchline, and the long throw was on. Vladimir Coufal launched the throw down the right to set the move in motion. Adam Hložek got on the end of it and cut back a low cross to the top of the box where Alexandr Sojka played a nice first-time pass inside, Sadílek ran in behind Khuliso Mudau before firing into the bottom corner. Williams tried to close the angle but had no chance. The South Africa backline was slow to react. Czechia were dominant and had what they came for in the sixth minute.
It also added a small footnote to a growing tournament theme: three goals have been scored from throw-ins at this World Cup, and Czechia have now accounted for two of them, having done the same to South Korea in their previous group match.
The early numbers illustrated it plainly: two big chances and three shots for Czechia in the first ten minutes, all while South Africa looked anything but calm under pressure.
Around the ten-minute mark, Mokoena made an excellent aggressive step in to cut off a Czech breakout from their own half, a moment that began to stabilize South Africa. The crowd, stunned and quiet after the early goal, slowly found its voice. South Africa began to assert possession, though their attacking play in the final third remained frantic and rushed throughout the half.
Oswin Appollis drew South Africa's first corner in the 13th minute with a deflected long-range effort. Shortly after, Aubrey Modiba attempted an audacious shot from roughly 50 yards that sailed into the stands. The Appollis and Modiba connection on the left side gradually became South Africa's most productive outlet, with Appollis moving inside and allowing Modiba to take the flank. When South Africa used that channel patiently, they caused problems. When they abandoned it in favor of long balls, Ladislav Krejčí shut the route down comprehensively, winning nearly every aerial challenge and using his physicality to cut off that avenue repeatedly.
Williams, asked too often to launch the ball, tended to favor the right side when the left was the more productive option. South Africa's buildup from the goalkeeper was a recurring tactical limitation.
Hložek was a constant problem for South Africa in the Czech attacking phase, exceptional with his passing and spatial awareness, regularly threatening near the South African penalty area.
Mbekezeli Mbokazi produced a clever long switch of play that opened South Africa up in wide positions, and a strong counter down the right saw Thapelo Maseko carry the ball on a long dribble inside before laying it wide for Khuliso Mudau, whose cutback cross was blocked out for a corner. South Africa were threading moments of quality through a half that was broadly going against them.
A Czech through ball in the final third tested South Africa's backline, with Mbokazi doing excellent defending on the end line to prevent a chance. Appollis earned a foul to release the pressure shortly after.
The bookings came in the second portion of the half. Mokoena's reckless challenge in the 33rd minute, studs up though not making full contact, earned him a yellow that will rule him out of South Africa's next group match through suspension. Mbatha followed him into the book in the 41st minute with a foul on Schick from around 30 yards, conceding a free kick that Hložek wasted with a poor effort.
South Africa's shooting decisions continued to frustrate. Mokoena tried his luck from 35 yards in the 44th minute, part of a consistent pattern of settling for long-range efforts from 30 or more yards when greater patience in the final third might have yielded better positions. Bafana Bafana took 11 of their 17 shots from outside the 18-yard box.
The half's most dramatic moment came in stoppage time. Modiba whipped in a cross from the left, Czechia goalkeeper Matěj Kovář attempted a diving catch and could not hold on. Maseko turned and shot, only for the effort to be blocked and cleared at the last moment. South Africa had been denied. Czechia went in at halftime 1 to 0 ahead, the shot count level at 5 apiece, two big chances to none for South Africa, and 63 percent of possession held by Bafana.
Second Half: Mokoena Levels from the Spot
South Africa opened the second half with a change, bringing Relebohile Mofokeng on for Jayden Adams at the interval. Finally it appeared that Hugo Broos was going to unleash one of his most impressive attacking options.
However, Czechia nearly extended their lead almost immediately. In the 48th minute, Lukáš Červ's long-range effort was parried over the bar by Williams, and Schick's header from the resulting corner went straight at the South African goalkeeper. South Africa responded with a moment of genuine quality: Mokoena threaded a gorgeous pass through the Czech defense to set up a cross that was blocked for a corner. Mbokazi tried from range shortly after, blocked again.
Maseko produced a wild, rushed effort from the top of the 18 after Czechia had recovered defensively. The pattern of South Africa reaching for shots from distance without creating better positions continued unbroken.
A controversial moment shifted the game's direction when Lukáš Červ went down after a collision, a delayed foul was given despite what looked like an exaggerated fall, and Czechia nearly punished South Africa immediately. A shot from 12 yards was blocked, the cutback found Sadílek, and that effort was blocked as well. South Africa survived what was a questionable refereeing decision.
By the 73rd minute, Czechia led the second-half shot count 6 to 3, with South Africa holding 57 percent of possession but struggling to convert territory into genuine chances. Krejčí had won the individual battle against Maseko for most of the match, only losing it in the 75th minute when Maseko got the better of him on a turn.
South Africa had a free kick from 25 yards. Rather than testing Kovář directly, the ball was cut back for Mbokazi to attempt from 30 yards, a decision that defied the logic of the moment entirely.
Then came the penalty. In the 83rd minute, Maseko turned and struck inside the 18, and the ball struck an arm. The referee Tori Penso pointed to the spot in a correct if judgment-based call. Mokoena stepped up without hesitation and placed the ball to the goalkeeper's left. 1-1.
Both sides pushed for a winner because a draw likely will not be enough to advance with difficult third matches coming up next week. Kovář produced a diving save in the 88th minute to keep the sides level. Czechia earned a corner and then a free kick in the 90th minute, and seven minutes of stoppage time were added.
Mokoena threw himself into challenges to keep South Africa pressing. Lukáš Provod wasted an opportunity from 18 yards, shooting wide for Czechia. A deflected Modiba effort in the 96th minute came to nothing. A final South African surge through Appollis, substitute Evidence Makgopa, and Mbokazi produced shots that were blocked or straight at Kovář.
The draw left both sides with a point neither could fully embrace. Czechia ran out of energy as they did in their previous group match. South Africa, despite dominating possession and territory for long stretches, could not find the composure in the final third that a winning goal required.
Next in the Group Stage
Tonight, Mexico faces South Korea with both teams on three points and trying to gain control of the group. Next week, Czechia will face the hosts Mexico in Mexico City at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, June 25 while South Africa will take on South Korea in Monterrey at the same time.
The draw in Atlanta makes advancement as a third place team for either Czechia or South Africa basically impossible. They will have to pull off a surprise win as an underdog in their last group stage match to extend their stay this summer in the World Cup. Based on what was seen today in Atlanta, that is going to be difficult to achieve.