South Africa advanced to the knockout stage of the World Cup for the first time.

In the 63rd minute, Tapelo Maseko curled a low shot with his left foot, the ball nestling into the far corner. Among the 50,000-plus crowd at the BBVA Stadium in Monterrey, the noise from the South Korean fans suddenly went silent. A 22-year-old South African kid playing in the Cypriot First Division had kept Son Heung-min on the bench with a long-range strike, while also kicking the 16-year-old curse of South Africa always exiting in the group stage into the trash bin.

Before the match, Hugo Broos was asked about the pressure. The old man replied, "I never listen to that rubbish on social media." The 74-year-old Belgian has led this team for five years, with a record of 26 wins, 21 draws, and 8 losses in 55 matches. On opening day, he became the oldest head coach in World Cup history, a record that lasted five hours before being taken by Czech coach Kubeck, and then surpassed by 78-year-old Curacao coach Advocaat. Broos doesn't care about these numbers. Without big-name players, his tactical board has only one word: grind. In the opening match against Mexico, the South Africans used two red cards to drag the game into a mud fight. From that moment, the team's character was set.

South Africa scored only two goals in three group matches. One was a penalty won by Maseko's breakthrough in the 83rd minute against the Czech Republic, converted by Mokwana; the other was this goal. Two goals earned four points, securing second place in Group A and advancing. Against South Korea, their possession was only 38%, with three shots on target compared to South Korea's one, and an expected goals (xG) of 0.90 versus 0.43. The South Koreans didn't create a single clear one-on-one opportunity or open goal. With less than 40% possession, South Africa generated twice the threat of their opponents. There is no surviving with just luck when you have less than 40% possession; they survived because of the defensive grind Broos has honed over five years. Maseko is the sharpest thorn in this system. The kid played the second half of the season for AEL Limassol, logging 643 minutes in the league with one goal and zero assists. But at the World Cup, he accounted for 100% of South Africa's goal contributions: coming off the bench to win a penalty against the Czech Republic, earning Man of the Match, and then against South Korea, receiving a cross from Moremi and striking from outside the box, the ball skimming the grass into the bottom corner. Defenders in the Cypriot First Division and World Cup defenders are clearly not the same breed, but this 22-year-old kid doesn't care. Maseko himself said, "The intensity of this World Cup is completely different from before." He adapted faster than anyone.

In the must-win-or-tie match under the pressure, Hong Myung-bo dropped Son Heung-min from the starting lineup. The four-time World Cup starter and symbol of Korean football missed out on being in the first eleven for the first time in this tournament. In the previous match against the Czech Republic, Son started and played 69 minutes, with six shots and one on target. After he was substituted, South Korea scored two goals in a 2-1 comeback. That substitution essentially laid the cards on the locker room table: they weren't counting on him. He was only brought on at halftime, with the score already 1-0 down. Before the match, Son said, "After my injury, I called my physio and said whatever the plan, I want to play at the World Cup." Wanting to play and being able to play are two different things. With three points and finishing third in the group, the Taeguk Warriors could only sit in the locker room scrolling on their phones, waiting for others to gift them a goal difference advantage.

In 1998 in France, South Africa made their debut and exited with two points. In 2002 in South Korea and Japan, they had four points but were eliminated because their goal difference was one less than Paraguay's. In 2010 on home soil, they again had four points, but were edged out by Mexico on goal difference, becoming the first host nation in 80 years to exit in the group stage. Twice tied on points, twice eliminated by the rules. Sixteen years later in Monterrey, the ledger has finally been cleared. Four points were enough. Two goals were also enough. On June 28th, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, the Round of 16 opponent will be Canada.

References

ESPN, South Africa vs South Korea match statistics and xG data BBC, 2026 World Cup South Africa vs South Korea live report The Hindu, South Africa first-ever knockout stage qualification historical report Korea Herald, Analysis of South Korea's group stage exit Sky Sports, South Africa group stage results and details of Maseko's penalty win Al Jazeera, Quote from Broos' pre-match press conference "not listening to social media rubbish" Goal.com, Quote from Maseko's SABC Sport interview on "match intensity" Flashscore, Data on Broos' five-year record coaching South Africa FotMob, Maseko's 2025/26 season playing data for AEL Limassol Wikipedia, 2010 World Cup Group A standings and host elimination record Yahoo Sports, South Africa Round of 16 match against Canada schedule and venue information