World Cup 2026 | Czech Republic 1 - 1 South Africa

A first point for both Czech Republic and South Africa at the World Cup.

Teboho Mokoena's penalty cancelled out Michal Sadilek's early goal for the Czechs.

Author | Ajay 

Stadium | Atlanta Stadium

South Africa trailed after five minutes and seven seconds when Michal Sadilek latched onto a clever lay-off and rifled home the earliest goal of the tournament so far.

The Bafana Bafana, who also conceded early against Mexico in their tournament opener, eventually settled into the game, but they struggled to create chances and only managed their first shot on target in the 74th minute.

But their fortunes finally changed as Thapelo Maseko's shot thundered into Pavel Sulc's arm in the Czech box with less than 10 minutes of normal time remaining. Mokoena made no mistake with the finish, slotting into the left corner.

Both sides then fought to determine a winner, but neither could. This means they’ll have to beat the group favourites in order to get out of the group and reach the knockout stages.

Ultimately, South Africa are probably the happier of the two sides at the moment, but this almost feels like a missed opportunity. Towards the dying stages of the match, you could see the Czechs were tiring.

Was it a penalty?

Francis watched the match as a neutral, he said: “Yes, it is a penalty, but I personally dislike that handball rule. It's not as though the arm is raised up here [gestures]. That goal shifted the momentum and that was the moment I felt South Africa took control. The handball laws are so difficult to interpret."