A brave Bafana Bafana made history securing a spot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup for the first time after a 1-0 triumph over South Korea in their final group stage match.
Maseko scored the decisive goal for South Africa in a match played at the Estadio Monterrey early on Thursday morning.
Broos kept the backline unchanged from the previous match. He made three changes to the lineup, with Relebohile Mofokeng replacing the suspended Teboho Mokoena, while Evidence Makgopa came in for Iqraam Rayners and Sphephelo Sithole coming in for the suspended Teboho Mokoena.
South Africa survived a massive scare just five minutes in. Kim Min-jae got a free header from a corner kick, forcing Aubrey Modiba to make a dramatic goal-line clearance to keep the game scoreless.
At the other end, Bafana launched a couple of promising attacks of their own, asking questions of the defense and creating a few chances but failing to find the net.
In the 19th minute, Thapelo Maseko found himself in a promising position after receiving a precise pass from Mofokeng. He pulled the trigger but only hit one of the opposition, who got in the way of his effort.
Ten minutes later, Bafana Bafana launched another sharp attack, with Mbatha unleashing a thunderous shot from outside the box, only for Seung-Gyu Kim to thwart the midfielder’s effort. The score remained 0-0 at half-time.
Bafana had a golden chance to take the lead when Mofokeng found Maseko once more, but his goal-bound effort was brilliantly blocked.Â
South Korea, on the other hand, dominated possession, but Broos’ charges looked far more creative in the final third.
Bafana broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute, with Maseko slotting home from close range thanks to an excellent assist from substitute Tshepang Morena, who replaced Oswin Appollis.
Korea continued to play but couldn’t create many clear-cut chances as they sought an equaliser.
Bafana also made a couple of late changes as the Belgian tactician sought to manage the game. From there, the 1996 AFCON champions shut the door at the back until the final whistle, sealing their spot in the World Cup knockout stages
