Bafana Bafana breaks through: 4 takeaways from South Africa against South Korea

For the first time in its history, South Africa qualified for the knockout stages of the World Cup after securing a surprise 1-0 victory over South Korea.

Few would have given Bafana Bafana much of a chance after their opening day defeat, but the team showed stability under head coach Hugo Broos and steady improvement over their remaining matches. After a second place in Group A, they are now heading to the round of 16 and will face Canada.

South Korea, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. He looked like a potential dark horse candidate after his opening win against Czechia. Little by little, the team got worse as the tournament progressed, and tonight, the Taegeuk Warriors deserved their defeat. Coach Hong Myung-bo stunned observers by benching his captain and leader, Son Heung-min. That set the tone for what was a horrible night.

South Korea are not yet eliminated from the round of 16, but with just three points from three games, they may not advance if the results do not go in their favor. This will be known in the coming days.

Here are my thoughts on the game.

1. Son of Hong Benches

In one of the most surprising coaching decisions in recent World Cup history, South Korean coach Myung-Bo Hong benched his team’s captain, all-time leading scorer and national icon Heung-min Son for the deciding group stage match against South Africa. With South Korea coming into this match with three points, their place in the round of 16 was far from assured. South Korea would be in grave danger in the event of defeat.

With all that on the line, Hong benched Son. Such an approach is risky for several reasons. Sure, it robs a team of talent, but it also affects team morale. The South Korean players must react without the leadership of their captain. Additionally, players might begin to question their coach’s decision-making.

Son hasn’t had the best year in 2026. He hasn’t scored for Los Angeles FC in 13 regular season league matches. He also came up empty for South Korea in their first two World Cup matches. That being said, Son has always been dangerous and at the heart of many dangerous plays for South Korea.

Son’s replacement, Hyun-Gyu Oh, was never dangerous. He had just nine touches in the first half. South Korea’s plan of attack was to position themselves in the middle and look for combinations. But after some good moments early in the match, South Korea was stifled. Sometimes this was due to strong South Africa defending and sometimes it was due to sloppy execution. The first half played out like a team that wasn’t in a good position, and a lot of that was due to Hong’s decision-making.

Son came on in the second half, but South Korea still looked rattled and never got into the game. Son finished with 29 touches and one shot, which was blocked. He usually came back to midfield to try to make things happen, but nothing happened.

Hong’s eye-opening decision backfired. It’s impossible to say whether it cost the team dearly, but South Korea clearly played well below the sum of its parts. Not having Son early in the game to help lead the team could have been costly.

2. South Korea’s neglect

(Photo by Alfredo Lopez/Jam Media/Getty Images)

During the first 45 minutes, the biggest takeaway was South Korea’s carelessness with the ball in midfield and the back line. Time and time again, the Taegeuk Warriors were dispossessed, had passes intercepted, or sent balls out of bounds.

In the first half, South Korea was outshot 10-4. South Africa had a 10-1 advantage on debut. What made this so surprising was the stark contrast between South Korea’s first two games. Even in the loss to Mexico, South Korea was cleaner with the ball and better in execution.

In the second half, Hong made a flurry of substitutions, but nothing significantly improved for the Taegeuk Warriors. The smooth passing displayed in the first game and at times in the second game just wasn’t there in the third game.

If South Korea’s three points fail to qualify for the round of 16, the team’s drastic fall throughout this tournament will be long digested and analyzed by the media in this country.

3. South Africa entered the game

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Of course, South Korea’s struggles were also due to South Africa playing their best football of the tournament. In the opening loss to Mexico, Bafana Bafana were dominated and destroyed by errors and red cards. In the draw against Czechia, South Africa took advantage of Czechia taking a defensive approach after scoring the first goal.

In this match, South Africa played well for very long periods. Specifically, central midfielders Sphephelo Sithole and Thalente Mbatha were very good on both sides of the ball in winning possession, driving the ball towards the front line and changing attacking points. South Africa were dangerous in transition and intelligent with the ball.

It was a remarkable performance from South Africa considering how much the team improved during these matches. This match was a continuation of this one, and in the second half, all the opportunities presented themselves.

Bafana Bafana’s Belgian manager Hugo Broos deserves a lot of credit for this. He made tactical adjustments and improved the team’s defensive organization. In the match against Mexico, South Africa was outshot 16-3 (although they received a red card early in the second half). In the second half, South Africa dominated Czechia 17-14. Tonight, South Africa dominated South Korea 13-5 until the final minutes when the Taegeuk Warriors began to desperately move their players into attack.

In the final minutes, Broos saw his team defend admirably as the players remained committed to their assignments and the team’s form. South Korea continued to push, but were never really dangerous in the final 25 minutes as they chased a goal.

4. Maseko is the hero

(Photo by Julio Cesar AGUILAR / AFP via Getty Images)

At just 22 years old, Thapelo Maseko scored the biggest goal in South Africa national team history when striker Tshepang Moremi played a superb pass into the box for Maseko, who placed the ball on his left foot before hitting a powerful, low shot past Seung-Gyu Kim to take the lead.

Maseko had been trying to get chances throughout the match, but once he managed to find a clear shot, he made the most of them.

It was a goal that South Africa deserved given the way they played. In tournaments, the margins between success and failure are slim. It often depends on which team has players capable of making big plays. In this match and in this tournament, it was South Africa who made the difference, and it was Maseko.