Atlanta, June 19 (). In the FIFA World Cup 2026, on Thursday, South Africa made a brilliant comeback after falling behind by one goal and drew the match 1-1 with Czech Republic. South Africa achieved its first point in this World Cup with a tie in the ‘Group A’ match at the Atlanta Stadium.
For the Czech Republic, Mikhal Kadillac scored a goal in the sixth minute of the match, but Teboho Mokoena scored a penalty in the 83rd minute to bring South Africa on par. South Africa and Czech Republic shared the points at the Atlanta Stadium. After this result, both the teams have one point each in two matches.
Czech Republic coach Miroslav Koubek had expected his team to get off to a strong start after losing their first match to South Korea. The team lived up to the coach’s expectations and scored the first goal in the sixth minute itself.
Adam Hlozek crossed from the right and Aleksandar Sojka cleverly got the ball into the first-time spot for Cadillac, who converted the ball past Ronwen Williams.
Mikhal Kadillac’s goal was the fastest goal scored in this World Cup at five minutes and eight seconds. It took eight seconds longer for Felix Nmecha to score for Germany against Curacao. After this, both the teams created many chances but no other goals could be scored and till half-time the Czech Republic remained ahead 1-0.
South Africa manager Hugo Bruce brought on Relebohile Mofokeng for the second half. The 21-year-old showed glimpses of his talent, but the Czech Republic’s defensive line, led by the impressive Ladislav Krejci, looked set for victory. Finally, in the 83rd minute of the match, Pavel Sulak got a penalty for handball and Mokoena scored from the penalty spot to make the score 1-1.
In Group A, Mexico and Republic of Korea lead with three points each. Mexico leads on goal difference.
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