The Sports Guru
Three weeks ago South Africa were reduced to nine men and beaten by Mexico. Here they reached a World Cup knockout stage for the first time in their history. This covers Thapelo Maseko's winner against South Korea, Hugo Broos's remarkable turnaround, and a night that South Korea spent without Heung-Min Son until it was too late.
South Africa came to this World Cup, lost their opening game with nine men, and have spent every match since rewriting the expectations they arrived with. The latest chapter is the best of all. Thapelo Maseko's 63rd-minute finish saw off South Korea 1-0 in Guadalupe, lifted South Africa to second in Group A, and carried them into the knockout rounds for the first time in their history. They will play Canada on Sunday. Given where this team started, the destination matters less than the fact they are still travelling.
A famous win earned the hard way
South Korea had the ball, and South Africa had the better of the chances, which is usually the more useful of the two things to own. The Koreans finished with 68 per cent possession at Estadio BBVA and almost nothing to show for it, undone by a familiar lack of a cutting edge. South Africa carried more threat with less of the ball, racking up more shots and a higher expected-goals figure on their way to a result that will be remembered for a long time in the country.
It was not without its scares. Min-Jae Kim headed against Aubrey Modiba on the South African line inside two minutes, and Kang-In Lee curled narrowly wide soon after. Yet the better openings kept falling the other way. On the half-hour, South Korea goalkeeper Seung-Gyu Kim produced a fine double save, parrying a powerful Mbatha effort before Makgopa drove the rebound straight at him. The warning signs were there for South Korea well before the goal arrived.
Maseko delivers the moment
When the goal came, it had the look of something inevitable. Maseko collected the ball inside the area and finished superbly on 63 minutes, a clean strike to settle a game South Africa had threatened to win for the best part of an hour. It was a deserved winner, and a fitting reward for the front-foot approach Hugo Broos has coaxed from a side that could have folded after the nine-man humbling by Mexico in their opener. Instead they have gathered momentum, and now a knockout tie with Canada awaits.
The turnaround under Broos is the story of South Africa's tournament. A team written off after one chaotic afternoon has reorganised, found a way to play without the ball when required, and produced the defining result in its World Cup history. For a nation whose previous tournaments have ended at the group stage, reaching the last 32 is not a footnote. It is the ceiling, lifted.
Son left waiting again
South Korea's night was defined by an absence. Myung-Bo Hong took the bold decision to bench Heung-Min Son for the first time in 13 World Cup games, ending a run of 12 consecutive starts, after the captain had failed to make an impact in either of the group's earlier matches. It was a call that grew more understandable the longer his recent form was examined. Son had been hauled off after 57 minutes in the defeat to Mexico and substituted in the opener too, registering the fewest touches of any Korean starter in both.
Introduced at half-time as part of a triple change that switched South Korea to a back four, the 33-year-old was more involved, with 29 touches, but only one of them came inside the penalty area. Without a World Cup goal since 2018 and now in what is likely his fourth and final tournament, Son cuts a diminished figure through the middle, the explosive wide threat of his peak harder to summon at this level. South Korea, who had beaten the Czech Republic to raise hopes, now face a nervous wait to qualify as one of the best third-placed teams. Their talisman will hope there is one more World Cup moment left in him to make it worthwhile.
Frequently Asked Questions
South Africa beat South Korea 1-0 in their Group A finale at Estadio BBVA in Guadalupe, watched by 51,243. Thapelo Maseko scored the only goal on 63 minutes, finishing from inside the area. South Korea had 68 per cent possession but failed to convert it, while South Africa created the better chances, recorded more shots and a higher expected-goals figure on their way to the win.
The win sent South Africa into the World Cup knockout rounds for the first time in their history. Finishing second in Group A, they secured a round-of-32 tie with Canada on Sunday. It capped a remarkable revival under manager Hugo Broos, whose side had lost their opening game to Mexico while reduced to nine men before recovering to reach a stage the country had never previously managed.
Manager Myung-Bo Hong dropped Heung-Min Son for the first time in 13 World Cup games, ending a run of 12 consecutive starts, after the captain struggled in South Korea's earlier group matches. Son had registered the fewest touches of any Korean starter in both the opener and the defeat to Mexico, in which he lasted only 57 minutes. He came on at half-time against South Africa but managed only one touch inside the penalty area.
Yes. Despite the defeat, South Korea can still go through as one of the best third-placed teams, though they now face a nervous wait on results elsewhere. They had earlier beaten the Czech Republic to raise hopes of progression, but failed to build on that against South Africa. Their fate is no longer in their own hands, and confirmation will depend on how the other groups finish.
Heung-Min Son has not scored at a World Cup since 2018. The 33-year-old, playing in what is likely his fourth and final tournament, has endured a difficult start to the 2026 finals, and his recent form prompted his benching against South Africa. Once a terrifying threat from the wing, he has found his influence reduced when deployed through the middle, and will hope for a defining moment should South Korea progress.
Sources: Final score, goalscorer and minute, the early chances and the Seung-Gyu Kim double save, possession and the shots and expected-goals comparison, venue, attendance, the Group A and round-of-32 picture including the Canada tie, and the detail of Heung-Min Son's benching, touches and World Cup record, as reported in Sky Sports' coverage of South Africa 1-0 South Korea at the World Cup.
