World Cup
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Cup 2026
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Czech Republic and South Africa are level 1-1 in Atlanta as both teams seek their first victory of the 2026 World Cup.
South Africa lost the opening match of the tournament to Mexico on June 11 without scoring, while Czech Republic were beaten 2-1 by South Korea later that evening.
Michal Sadilek fired the Czechs into the lead in the sixth minute, tied for the earliest goal we've seen in this tournament so far.
83' Czech Republic 1-1 South Africa
Mokoena makes no mistake from the spot! Brilliant penalty from the man who will be suspended for the final group game.
81' Czech Republic 1-0 South Africa
South Africa called for hand ball in the box!
In case anyone was wondering, the neutrals here are very much behind South Africa.
The latest South Africa free kick is a training-ground move that results in absolutely nothing. That has been the trend today. The fans here in Atlanta are unbothered by the lack of spectacle, though. There is a great vibe inside the stadium despite the subpar play. 67,442 is the official attendance figure.
75' Czech Republic 1-0 South Africa
Krejki booked for a late challenge.
A word about the referee: Tori Penso has really let this game flow and deserves more credit than many of the players here.
Do you think you can have a bad hydration break song? This one, "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver, feels like a proper vibe killer.
"Any football game that needs music at the interval is unacceptable", former England international Stephen Warnock says on BBC.
70' Czech Republic 1-0 South Africa
More boos for the hydration break. The players should feel grateful they're not receiving similar treatment. This has been a game to forget.
It hasn't been a World Cup classic so far.
Czech Republic are doing enough to keep South Africa at arm's length but could do with an insurance goal to make sure of the victory.
Czech Republic have been the better team today, but the longer this match stays 1-0, the harder it will be to ignore thoughts of the Czechs' opening game. They led that game 1-0 as well until South Korea scored in the 67th and 80th minutes to take all three points.
66' Czech Republic 1-0 South Africa
More changes all round. Soucek is the major arrival and let's hope he can inject some life into this game.
It's a pretty drab affair at present.
60' Czech Republic 1-0 South Africa
Yet another pointless South African shot from distance.
They really need to try to work an opening, as these shots are unlikely to work at this level.
56' Czech Republic 1-0 South Africa
A couple of changes for Czech Republic:
Pavel Sulc and Jaroslav Zeleny are on, Vladimir Darida and Alexandr Sojka withdrawn.
52' Czech Republic 1-0 South Africa
This half has been much better so far, both teams looking to take the game to the opposition.
South Africa have never lost back-to-back games at a World Cup and will be desperately hoping they are not about to make the wrong kind of history.
Sadilek's header from a corner sails over.
48' Czech Republic 1-0 South Africa
The Czechs have been quick out of the blocks this half.
Darida has a close-range shot blocked and then Cerv's effort from range is tipped over the bar.
Schick heads straight at the goalkeeper from the corner.
46' Czech Republic 1-0 South Africa
We are back in play and Relebohile Mofokeng replaces Jayden Adams for South Africa.
It was a strange half. The early goal could have led to a deluge but South Africa worked their way back into it without ever really threatening.
They will need to be brave now if they want to stay at this World Cup and commit men forward as they search for a goal.
Czech Republic haven't been great but they've managed to keep their opponents at arm's length thus far.
Michal Sadilek's goal in the sixth minute came via a throw-in. According to our friends over at Opta, Czech Republic have now been responsible for two of three goals scored in that fashion in this entire tournament.
Three goals have been scored from throw-ins at the 2026 World Cup.
Czechia have scored two of them. pic.twitter.com/48HO8pk2U1
Update from my Czech pal in the stadium: “A promising start but since the 15th minute much more passive than desired. South Africa are quite unpredictable so it’s not an easy watch.
“Positives are that the lads look more confident on the ball. It's weird we don’t cross at all. That’s a massive shift from our DNA, and despite leaving some set-piece monsters on the bench it still feels weird.”
With another two yellow cards for South Africa in the first half, one of which sees another player suspended for the team's next match, Bafana Bafana have now picked up a whopping 29 cards in total across their 11 World Cup matches all-time.
That comes to an average of 2.6 cards per match, which ranks as the third highest for countries that have played at least seven World Cup matches since 1966, trailing only Serbia (3.5) and Ghana (2.7).
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RSA
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