Teboho Mokoena scored an 83rd-minute penalty to rescue a 1-1 draw for South Africa against the Czech Republic at the 2026 World Cup.
The Czech Republic took an early lead just five minutes and seven seconds into the match when Michal SadÃlek finished a flowing move, firing home after a clever lay-off to register the fastest goal of the tournament so far.
South Africa, who had also fallen behind early in their opening match against Mexico, gradually grew into the contest. However, they struggled to create clear chances and did not record a shot on target until the 74th minute.
Their breakthrough came late on when Thapelo Maseko’s shot struck Czech defender Pavel Šulc on the arm inside the penalty area, prompting the referee to award a spot-kick with less than 10 minutes remaining.
Mokoena calmly converted the penalty, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way and placing the ball into the bottom-left corner to level the score.
The draw leaves both teams with work to do in Group A, with Mexico and South Korea currently ahead in the standings. However, both South Africa and the Czech Republic remain in contention for progression, with the possibility that the best third-placed teams will also advance to the knockout stage.
South Africa will face South Korea on Thursday, 25 June at 02:00 BST, while the Czech Republic meet co-hosts Mexico at the same time in Mexico City.
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