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A penalty by Teboho Mokoena in the 83rd minute prevented South Africa from losing and secured a 1-1 draw against Czech Republic this Thursday at the , in a match that both teams needed to win to avoid being on the brink of elimination in Group A of the .
The match kicked off with a Czech Republic fully engaged from the first minute. Marek Sadilek from Slavia Prague opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a regular play shot that put the Czechs ahead early and gave them a cushion they defended for over an hour and a quarter.
South Africa dominated possession —61% compared to 39% for the Czechs— and created more danger in terms of shots (15 to 14) and shots on target (four to three), but lacked the precision to convert that control into goals for most of the match.
The match became tense with yellow cards issued to T. Mokoena (min. 33) and T. Mbatha (min. 40) for South Africa, and to L. Krejci (min. 75) for the Czech Republic. Both teams made several substitutions with intensity in the second half: the Czech Republic made five changes and South Africa made four, all in search of a goal that would change the scoreline.
The reward came for the Africans in the 83rd minute: a penalty, and Mokoena stepped up to the spot. The same player who had received a yellow card in the first half became South Africa's hero with a shot that left the Czech goalkeeper with no chance.
With this result, in Group A and still have a chance for qualification, although the situation is challenging. Mexico leads with six points after two victories, while South Korea is in second place with three. The Czechs and South Africans share third and fourth places.
On the first day, South Korea came from behind to defeat the Czech Republic 2-1 and Mexico won 2-0 against South Africa, leaving both teams with no points before this match.
On June 25, during the decisive matchday, the Czech Republic will face Mexico and South Africa will take on South Korea in simultaneous games. Winning will be essential for either team, and they will also need to hope that the results of the other matches are favorable for them.
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