South Africa's Teboho Mokoena led the celebrations after equalizing against Czechia from the penalty spot. The 1-1 draw kept South Africa's World Cup hopes alive, but coach Hugo Broos was critical of the stadium and the opposing team's style of play.
Broos criticizes stadium and Czechia
Before the match, Broos had responded to criticism over South Africa's start to the World Cup by revealing that a friend had suggested erecting a statue of him after qualification. Broos replied, "Make it out of wood; that way it will burn more easily." After a 2-0 loss to Mexico, South Africa was seven minutes away from a 1-0 defeat to Czechia, with no points, no goals, and little hope. However, a late penalty gave them a lifeline.
Pavel Sulc was the unfortunate player who conceded the penalty, unable to remove his hand from the path of a long shot. Teboho Mokoena scored from the spot, celebrating emotionally after crying during the national anthem. Broos insisted his team played "good football" and created chances, but expressed disappointment at playing under a closed roof in Atlanta.
"Only the grass is football, all the rest is not," Broos said. "When you compare it to the Azteca, for example, that's a football stadium. I prefer a real football stadium. The drinks break is useful when it's hot, but otherwise it disrupts the rhythm." He added, "Czechia don't like to play football or the passing game. They are all 1m 90cm or taller. If you like football, you prefer the game we played today."
Czechia coach Miroslav Koubek responded, "That is his opinion; my opinion is different. Looking at the chances, we were closer to victory."
Match summary
The draw means both teams can still advance. South Africa needs a win over South Korea, though Mokoena will miss the match due to a second yellow card. Czechia can progress by beating Mexico. However, the match itself was largely uneventful between the early goal and the late equalizer.
Czechia took the lead in the fifth minute after a throw-in led to a goal by Michal Sadilek. South Africa struggled to create chances, but Mokoena's penalty in the 83rd minute sparked a late flurry. Both teams had opportunities in stoppage time, but the match ended 1-1.
Broos concluded, "We were not lucky, but I think it was correct to call it a handball."
