Then it slipped. After grinding through 70-plus minutes in front, Czechia conceded a penalty in the 83rd and watched Mokoena bury it. Two games in, two leads coughed up — they did the same thing against South Korea in the opener, surrendering 2 goals in the final half hour to lose 2-1. The pattern is the problem, not the personnel.
Bafana Bafana got punched in the mouth early and didn't fold. After Sadilek's opener they spent most of the match second-best, but they kept the score at 1-0, kept Williams busy without letting him get beat again, and gave themselves a runway into the final 10 minutes. Thalente Mbatha and Mokoena both picked up yellows trying to slow the game down — not pretty, but it worked.
The reward came in the 83rd. South Africa won a penalty and handed it to Mokoena, who calmly slotted it past Matej Kovar to level. 7 minutes of stoppage time gave them a sniff at a winner. It didn't come, but a point on the board is a real improvement on the opener, when they lost 2-0 to Mexico and finished with 2 red cards.
The market had Czechia as a clear favorite at 50.5% on Polymarket with South Africa a 21.5% live dog, and for 83 minutes that read looked right. Then it didn't. A 1-1 isn't the result either side wanted — Czechia had the win in their pocket and let it go, South Africa needed a result and got the smaller version of one.
The group picture is brutal: Mexico are out to 59.5% to win Group A, South Korea 35.5%, and Czechia and South Africa are now fighting for table scraps with round-of-16 odds at 6.5% and 4% respectively. Czechia next have to find a result against Mexico; South Africa get South Korea. Both need to win. Neither has looked like a team that's about to.
Mexico0-3
South Africa1-1
South Korea1-2
Canada0-1South Korea1-0Czechia1-1Mexico0-2