Mokoena penalty salvages South Africa's 1-1 draw with
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- Teboho Mokoena converted an 83rd-minute penalty to salvage a 1-1 draw for South Africa against Czech Republic at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, with attendance of 67,442
- Michal Sadilek fired Czech Republic ahead in the 6th minute from a set piece, punishing sloppy South Africa defending for their second consecutive game without a clean sheet
- Patrik Schick squandered multiple clear chances for the Czechs, miscuing a free header after just 50 seconds and nodding a second-half corner straight at Ronwen Williams, while Vladimir Darida was denied a tap-in by a heavy touch
- Pavel Sulc's inadvertent handball nine minutes from time handed South Africa their lifeline after they had looked 'sluggish and lacking in creativity' for nearly the entire match
- The result leaves Group A wide open heading into the final matchday, with both South Africa and Czech Republic still able to reach at least third place, which would likely see them into the last 32
- Hugo Broos told BBC Sport he was 'very proud' of his team's reaction to their opening defeat by Mexico, calling the second-half response 'a fantastic performance' against a Czech side that had lost to the Faroe Islands in qualifying
Why it matters: South Africa's first World Cup 2026 point came from an 83rd-minute penalty after they were outplayed for 80 minutes, keeping alive their route to the last 32 from a Group A where all four teams remain in contention. For Czech Republic, the failure to convert a series of gilt-edged chances — including two guilt-edge opportunities for Schick — leaves their knockout hopes dependent on their final group game.
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