South Africa have reached the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup for the first time in their history after a hard-fought 1-0 victory over South Korea, a result that also leaves the Asian side on the brink of elimination.
Bafana Bafana secured their place in the next round thanks to Thapelo Maseko’s decisive goal in a tightly contested match that tested both sides, but ultimately went in favour of the Africans.
This marks a major breakthrough for South Africa, who had previously featured in the 1998, 2002 and 2010 editions of the tournament without progressing beyond the group stage. Their latest achievement ends that long-standing run and sets up a round of 16 clash with Canada on Sunday, June 28.
Head coach Hugo Broos, who has now become the first manager to guide South Africa into the World Cup knockout phase, expressed his pride in the team’s performance.
“It was very difficult to explain how it feels. It’s a fantastic experience. It was so tough today but we played a very good game, we had chances and technically, I think we played very well,” he said.
Broos also praised his team’s defensive organisation and counter-attacking threat.
“It was very difficult for South Korea to find the spaces. We defended well and in transition we were dangerous, and that’s what we wanted to do. We are in the second round, this is historic I’m very happy for the players,” he told Fox Sports.
