The Republic of South Africa carved its name into it FIFA World Cup history after sealing first place in the knockout stages with a hard-fought 1-0 win over South Korea, while head coach Hugo Broos added another remarkable chapter to his storied career by becoming the oldest manager ever to win a World Cup match at 74 years and 75 days.The historic triumph secured Bafana Bafana second place in Group A behind Mexico, who won all three of their group stage matches. South Africa will now face Group B runners-up Canada in the Round of 16 on Sunday in Inglewood, California.An emotional Broos admitted the achievement fulfilled the team’s primary objective after arriving in Mexico, describing the final whistle as one of the defining moments of his coaching career.“It was an emotional moment. We came here to Mexico and we wanted to survive the group stage,” said Broos. “Not only because we won the game, but also because it will probably be one of the last games of my career. When you can end your career like this, I think every coach dreams of that.”
Maseko makes a historic breakthrough as a force of faith
The decisive moment came in the 63rd minute when 22-year-old Thapelo Maseko latched on to Tshepang Moremi’s accurate cross, cut inside and left-footed a shot through the legs of the defender into the bottom corner. The goal made Maseka the second youngest South African goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history at 22 years and 225 days.Despite missing two earlier opportunities, the Mamelodi Sundowns forward finished with five strikes and now leads South Africa with eight tries in the tournament.Looking back on his journey, Maseko said: “The only thing I would say is to keep dreaming.”Broos praised his side’s tactical discipline and collective commitment.“I think we played a very good game tactically. Everyone did their job. I’m very proud of my team’s performance,” he said. “When they had the ball, we covered all the spaces. When we had possession, we became dangerous because we used the spaces they gave us.”South Africa began their campaign with a 2-0 defeat by Mexico before rescuing a late 1-1 draw against the Czech Republic, which left them needing a win over South Korea to stay alive. The response, Broos said, reflected the team’s unwavering mentality.“Today you saw a team that believed in itself. The mentality in this group is incredible. Everyone works for everyone. We are not afraid of other teams.”
