South Africa booked a historic place in the World Cup knockout rounds as Morocco joined them in advancing to the Round of 32.
South Africa secured a place in the knockout rounds of the FIFA World Cup for the first time in their history after edging South Korea 1-0 in their final Group A fixture.
A second-half strike from Thapelo Maseko proved decisive at the Estadio Monterrey in Guadalupe, Mexico, as Bafana Bafana clinched second place in the group and booked a historic place in the Round of 32.
The result marked a remarkable turnaround for Hugo Broos’ side, who began their campaign with a 2-0 defeat to Mexico. South Africa responded by collecting the points needed to keep their World Cup dream alive and advance beyond the group stage for the first time.
Speaking after the achievement, Broos described the qualification as a response to critics, saying it was about “shutting up big mouths”.
South Africa will now face Canada in the Round of 32 on Sunday. Canada also reached the World Cup knockout rounds for the first time after finishing second in Group B, setting up a meeting between two nations enjoying breakthrough tournaments.
Morocco also secured passage to the knockout phase, overcoming an early scare to defeat Haiti 4-2 in their final Group C encounter.
The Atlas Lions fell behind after an error from goalkeeper Yassine Bounou allowed Haiti to take a surprise lead, before Isidor doubled the Caribbean side’s advantage. However, Morocco mounted an impressive comeback through goals from Achraf Hakimi, Ismael Saibari, Soufiane Rahimi and Gessime Yacine.
The victory ensured Morocco finished on seven points from three matches. The North Africans ended the group stage level on points with Brazil, who defeated Scotland 3-0 in the group’s other fixture through a Vinicius Junior brace and a goal from Matheus Cunha.
Having reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup and established themselves as one of Africa’s strongest footballing nations in recent years, Morocco entered the tournament among the continent’s leading hopes. Their progression to the knockout stage means they remain firmly on course for another deep run in the competition.
Morocco are set to face the winners of Group F in the Round of 32, with the Netherlands, Japan and Sweden all still in contention to top the group.
