World Cup: South Africa stun South Korea to reach historic last 32

South Africa booked a place in the FIFA World Cup knockout stage for the first time in their history after edging South Korea 1-0 in a tense Group A encounter at Estadio Monterrey on Thursday.

A second-half strike from Thapelo Maseko proved decisive as Bafana Bafana secured the victory they needed to finish second in the group behind Mexico and advance to the last 32.

After a closely contested first half ended goalless, South Africa broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute. Tshepang Moremi carved open the Korean defence before setting up Maseko, who cut inside and fired a low shot beyond the goalkeeper to spark wild celebrations among the travelling supporters.

South Korea pushed forward in search of an equaliser, with captain Son Heung-min and Kang-In Lee seeing plenty of the ball, but they found it difficult to break through a well-organised South African defence. Despite dominating possession in the closing stages, the Asians failed to register the attacking threat required to rescue their tournament.

Bafana Bafana defended resolutely through six minutes of added time, frustrating South Korea’s attempts to force extra drama and holding on for one of the most significant victories in the nation’s football history.

The result sees South Africa progress to the knockout rounds for the first time since making their World Cup debut, while South Korea’s campaign ends in disappointment after failing to secure the point that could have kept their hopes alive.

As celebrations erupted at the final whistle, attention quickly turned to the knockout stage, where South Africa are expected to face Canada in what promises to be another major test of their growing World Cup credentials.

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