ATLANTA, GA — The Atlanta Stadium, also known as Mercedes Benz Stadium, was filled with 67,000 fans to watch South Africa and Czechia on the pitch for the second match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. It was excitement, loud cheering and goals being scored unlike the first match between Spain and Cape Verde. It also ended in a 1-1 draw like the first match too.
Czechia and South Africa met in Atlanta on Thursday, June 18 for a Group K matchup. South Africa had a good showing in the first half of their first match against Mexico, but fell apart in the second half before falling 2-0. Czechia also needed to bounce back after falling 2-1 in their opening game to South Korea in which they gave up a goal late in the second half.
Czechia didn’t waste anytime in their second group play match and quickly scored in the opening six minutes of the match. Midfielder Michael Sadíek was able to find the center of the goal in the center box on the assist from Alexander Sojka to give the Czechia a 1-0 lead.
That goal from the Czechs was a wake up call for the South Africa squad as they began to become the more aggressive team. They began to take some chances and shots to try to even the score, but Czechia defense stood strong. The story for the remainder of the first half and majority of the game was defense for both teams.
Czechia did have a great opportunity to add onto their lead late in the half around the 34-minute mark, but missed the shot. Then, things got a little fiery on the pitch a few possessions later and South Africa receives back-to-back yellow cards. Both Teboho Mokoena and Thalente Mbatha receive yellow cards for two bad fouls within five minutes of each other on the game clock, between 34-40th minutes.
The Czechs couldn’t convert the free kick attempt from Adam Hlozek, but they would preserve their 1-0 lead at halftime. South Africa came out aggressive in the second half, but still had trouble finding the net and were in danger of going scoreless through the first two World Cup matches.
The momentum began to shift for the South Africa team late in the second half. Czechia’s Ladislav Krejcí received a yellow card for a hard foul and South Africa was awarded a free kick in the attacking half but they couldn’t convert it. More drama took place at the 81st-minute of the game when Czechia’s Paul Sulc was issued a handball penalty. That mistake was costly because Mokoena of South Africa found the bottom left corner to convert the penalty shot and tie the game at 1-1.
“I never thought as a kid I would be here and scoring that type of goal in the World Cup. I was emotional and it was a dream come true. I am living my dream as a kid from Bethlehem,” said Mokoena.
The South Africa fan base cheering roared through the crowd and the roof of the Atlanta Stadium could’ve exploded with the amount of excitement that filled the building. The two teams would defend their goals well and the match ended with a 1-1 draw after both teams bounce back from a disappointing opening match.
“I know, wherever he[grandfather] is, he would be proud of me,” Mokoena said. “I just felt his presence in that moment. I thought if he was here, he would be proud of me because I know he believed in me when nobody believed in me.”
South Africa would have two saves, controlled 62% of the possessions in this match, attempted 17 shots and finished the game with eight blocks. They really picked up their energy after the being hit with the first punch in the early parts of the match and refused to go down without a fight.
“If we go on like that and if we can make another performance like today I think we have a chance to go in the second round,” South Africa coach Hugo Broos said.
South Africa will face South Korea in their next match on Wednesday, June 24 but will do without Mokoena. The hero of match two received his second yellow card and will have to sit due to a one-game suspension.
Czechia will face Mexico in their next game, which will also be played on Wednesday, June 24. After losing in the first game and drawing with South Africa in their second game, they now are in a must win situation against Mexico to keep their chances alive at advancing to the Round of 32.