A late Teboho Mokoena penalty gave South Africa their first point at the World Cup and leave Group A wide open.South Africa were soundly beaten by Mexico in the tournaments opener and were again staring at defeat after Michal Sadilek struck the earliest goal of the tournament so far.But Czechia were passive in the second half and were made to pay when Mokoena buried his spot-kick to leave both sides on one point from two games.Czechia striker Patrik Schick missed a great chance inside the first minute when he appeared to lose track of the ball in the stadium lights and totally mistimed a free header.But his side were soon ahead. Sadilek was played in on goal after a throw and fired past Ronwen Williams after a smart touch from Alexandr Sojka.South Africa improved slightly and looked a threat at times with Mokoena firing over from range, while Matej Kovar spilled a cross and Thapelo Maseko couldnt force it in.South Africa have never won a World Cup game having conceded the opening goal but were the better side in the second half.They were handed a lifeline when Masekos shot hit the arm of substitute Pavel Sulc and referee Mary Penso pointed to the spot.Mokoena made no mistake to leave both sides in with a chance of progression.South Africa play South Korea in their final game while Czechia head to the Azteca to face Mexico. Topics Czech Republic National Football Team South Africa national football team Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read LIVE Czechia v South Africa: Commentary, updates, goals and stats as Koubek makes five changes Jon Fisher 18th June, 2026 World Cup 2026 live: Czechia vs South Africa confirmed teams and full line ups, TV channel, live online stream and stats Ben Miller 18th June, 2026 World Cup 2026: Full list of confirmed teams, fixtures, groups and results Ben Miller 18th June, 2026 Czechia v South Africa: World Cup 2026 line-ups, stats and preview, TV channel, live online stream and prediction Ben Miller 17th June, 2026 World Cup 2026 opening ceremony time: Shakira, Katy Perry start times and where to watch full show on TV and live online stream with Madonna set for final Ben Miller 12th June, 2026 South Korea 2-1 Czechia: Hong delighted with team unity as Oh hands Asian giants deserved win Jon Fisher 12th June, 2026
