South Africa secured a historic World Cup achievement by reaching the knockout stage for the primary time of their historical past after defeating South Korea 1-0 of their ultimate Group A match, Softfootball studies.
Thapelo Maseko scored the decisive aim within the 63rd minute after connecting with a exact cross from Tshepang Moremi, sending Bafana Bafana by to the Spherical of 32. The end result noticed South Africa end second in Group A behind Mexico, who topped the group after sustaining an ideal file.
The victory accomplished a exceptional turnaround for South Africa, who started the match with a 2-0 defeat in opposition to Mexico. They responded strongly with a late equaliser in opposition to Czech Republic earlier than producing one of many largest moments within the nation’s soccer historical past by defeating South Korea.
Regardless of South Africa’s restricted possession, they confirmed glorious defensive organisation and effectivity in assault.
The defeat leaves South Korea with three factors from the group stage, and so they should now await different outcomes to find out whether or not they qualify as among the finest third-placed groups.

For South Africa, the win represents a landmark achievement after earlier World Cup disappointments in 1998, 2002 and 2010, after they didn’t progress past the group stage. They may now face Canada within the Spherical of 32, carrying confidence from their historic qualification.
Participant Rankings
South Africa
| Participant | Ranking |
|---|---|
| Thapelo Maseko | 7.5 |
| Y. Sithole | 7.3 |
| M. Mbokazi | 7.3 |
| R. Mofokeng | 7.3 |
| Okay. Mudau | 7.0 |
| I. Rayners | 6.9 |
| J. Adams | 6.9 |
| T. Mbatha | 6.8 |
| I. Okon | 6.8 |
| A. Modiba | 6.7 |
| O. Appollis | 6.7 |
| T. Moremi | 6.6 |
| R. Williams | 6.5 |
| E. Makgopa | 6.4 |
South Korea
| Participant | Ranking |
|---|---|
| Son Heung-Min | 4.7 |
| Lee Kang-In | 4.4 |
| Hwang Hee-Chan | 4.1 |
| Kim Min-Jae | 4.1 |
| Kim Seung-Gyu | 4.1 |
| Kim Jin-Gyu | 4.0 |
| J. Castrop | 3.9 |
| Lee Han-Beom | 3.9 |
| Park Jin-Seob | 3.9 |
| Hwang In-Beom | 3.8 |
| Lee Tae-Seok | 3.8 |
| Oh Hyeon-Gyu | 3.7 |
| Paik Seung-Ho | 3.6 |
| Seol Younger-Woo | 3.6 |
| Lee Gi-Hyuk | 3.5 |
| Cho Gue-Sung | 3.3 |
| Statistic | South Africa | South Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Last Rating | 1 | 0 |
| Targets | Thapelo Maseko (63′) | — |
| Possession | 31.5% | 68.5% |
| Whole Photographs | 12 | 18 |
| Photographs on Aim | 4 (31%) | 2 (29%) |
| Anticipated Targets (xG) | 1.10 | 1.00 |
| Correct Passes | 249 (86%) | 473 (91%) |
| Duels Gained | 40 | 42 |
| Saves | 1 | 3 |
| Fouls Dedicated | 7 | 9 |









