South Africa snatch late draw with Czechia at World Cup

South Africa and Czechia played out a 1-1 draw at Atlanta Stadium in their opening Group A match of the FIFA World Cup 2026, with Teboho Mokoena's late penalty canceling Michal Sadilek's early strike.

Fast start pays off for Czechia

Czechia coach Miroslav Koubek had called for a "fast start" and his players responded immediately. In the sixth minute, Adam Hlozek crossed from the right and Alexandr Sojka's clever first-time touch released Sadilek, who fired past South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams. The goal, timed at five minutes and eight seconds, became the fastest of the tournament so far, edging Felix Nmecha's strike for Germany against Curaçao by eight seconds.

South Africa fight back

South Africa coach Hugo Broos introduced Relebohile Mofokeng at halftime, and the 21-year-old showed flashes of brilliance. However, Czechia's defense, marshaled by the impressive Ladislav Krejci, appeared set to hold out for victory. The turning point came in the 83rd minute when Pavel Sulc was penalized for handball. Mokoena stepped up and sent goalkeeper Matej Kovar the wrong way from the spot to level the score.

Reaction from both camps

Czechia defender Ladislav Krejci expressed disappointment: "We're disappointed with this result. I think that, if we look at the chances, we were closer to winning, but we made a mistake that cost us. Despite that, we played better in the second half."

Broos praised his team's spirit: "I'm very proud of my team. This is Bafana Bafana – we love good football, we are aggressive, we create chances. Yes, we made mistakes, but I'm very proud of the performance today. Czechia are powerful and very tall. We did very well. It's a little bit of a pity that it's only 1-1, but we just have to win the game against Korea Republic, which will be very difficult too. If we play with the same mentality, it will be possible."

Group A implications

The draw leaves both sides on one point each in Group A. South Africa's next match is against Korea Republic, while Czechia will face the group's other opponents in their quest to advance.