Patience pays for S Africa, complacency costs S Korea dear

The World Cup is a stage tailored for upsets and underdog stories, and today, it was South Africa that booked their first-ever trip to the knockout round by beating favourites South Korea 1-0 in Estadio Monterrey. The lone goal from Thapelo Maseko in the 63rd minute was all the South Africans needed to clinch second place in Group A, while for South Korea the loss means that they will have to hope to qualify as one of the eight best third placed teams. 

This was one of those games where you can say that the scoreline perfectly encapsulates how both teams played during the match. It wasn’t a 1-0 that was stolen at the death nor was it a 1-0 from an early goal that led to South Africa parking the bus for the rest of the game. From the moment of kickoff at the Estadio Monterrey it seemed that Bafana Bafana were building towards their goal in the 63rd minute. They were in control of the tempo of the game and were patient in their build-ups, waiting for the right opportunity. 

That was the key difference between the two teams today, patience vs complacency. South Africa might not have been gunning for the goal for 90 minutes but they were always threatening the opposition’s net. On the other hand, the South Korean attack just seemed to lack any form of intensity as if they believed a goal would eventually come to them. On paper and based on their form in the World Cup up to the game, South Korea wouldn’t have been wrong. South Africa did open their World Cup campaign with one of the worst performances in recent memory, ending their first match against Mexico not just with a 2-0 loss but also having earned 2 red cards. It would have been easy for the South Africans to let that game set the tone for the rest of the tournament and they could have seen an early exit. In fact, for the majority of their second game against Czechia they practically had one foot on the plane going home, after trailing 1-0. But for those who looked past the scoreline, it was easy to see that South Africa had improved their mentality and tactically looked more sound in their second game, where they earned a single point through a late goal. That steady improvement came to fruition today against South Korea, who had been praised for their form despite a 1-0 loss in the previous game against Mexico. You should never expect a win in a World Cup game, and it seemed like that was where South Korea lost. They never had a hunger for the win, while the South Africans were clearly giving it their all. 

A key area, where South Africa found a lot of success today, was in their defence. Every time a Korean attack, especially in transition, seemed threatening, there was always a South African player to shut it down. In particular, 20-year old centre back Mbekezeli Mbokazi had a stellar performance and his fingerprints were everywhere when a Korean attack was thwarted. It just seemed that the Tigers of Asia always sputtered and slowed down when they reached the final third, which also made it easier for the South African defenders. A lack of definitive decision making meant that the South African keeper was rarely in any real trouble. 

Why was the South Korean attack so stagnant today? An easy answer to that question might be to blame head coach Hong Myung-Bo’s decision to leave star player and captain Son Heung-Min on the bench today. Son might not have had a goal or an assist to his name in the tournament so far, but he’s still an important figure in the attack. He’s always making threatening runs and creating chances, which keeps the opposition on their toes, something which the team sorely missed today. Although he eventually came on in the second half, it was too little too late as the South Africans had already found their groove on both sides of the pitch. 

Their moment finally came in the 63rd minute through a build-up that began in their own half. It started with a nice flick to a forward pass that found substitute winger Tshepang Moremi making a great run down the left wing. After progressing the ball towards the South Korean goal, Moremi placed a pass towards the right side of the box that went by multiple South Korean defenders before landing at Maseko. From there, Maseko takes a touch before hitting a beautiful strike through the legs of a defender and into the bottom right corner of the net to send South Africa to the knockout stages. 

While the goal seemed to finally wake South Korea up, they just couldn’t find their way out of second gear today and as the full-time whistle blew, it was Bafana Bafana that celebrated. It was a historical moment for Hugo Broos and his men, not just to make up for their abysmal opening day performance, because it marks the first time South Africa have progressed to the knockout stages of a World Cup. They now face the challenge of hosts Canada in their Round of 32 match on July 28 in California. For South Korea, it’s not yet over, as they still have a good chance to qualify as one of the best third-placed teams. If anything, today’s result will be more disappointing to Scotland, who move closer to the brink of elimination with South Korea unexpectedly entering the contest. It will be a long few days for the Tigers of Asia as they await their fate.