A South Africa won the erase South Korea this Wednesday (24), in a game valid for the third round of the group stage of World cup.
The result gives the Africans a place in the knockout stage for the first time in their history. Korea enters the fray among the best third-placed teams in the tournament.
Warm first half
The expectations were on South Korea, but it was South Africa that had the best opportunities during the first stage.
Maseko arrived in danger twice. At 18, he ran towards the goal, adjusted his body, and when he finished, he was stopped by the defense. At 38, alone, he advanced freely to the right and ended up shooting over the goal.
South Korea had the ball, but did not threaten. Hwang Hee-Chan and Lee Tae-Seok even appeared in good condition in the offensive sector, but their finishing was lacking.
Finally, the reward
At the beginning of the second half, Maseko, again, had the opportunity to open the scoring. The midfielder received the ball deep from Mofokeng and did everything right: he invaded the area and dribbled past the defender, but he made a mistake when finishing and sent it over the top.
The goal finally came in the 17th minute, from the number 12, after an individual play by Mokofeng. The player dominated on the left and passed it to Maseko, who turned his body and hit a left to open the score.
Night to forget
Still at half-time, Son Heung-Min left the bench to encourage the Korean attack, but the initiative did not produce results. Despite playing a good game, the player was unable to unbalance the confrontation.
The South Korean attack continued to be ineffective, finishing little and almost without danger, even though it dominated possession of the ball for almost the entire match.
How is Group A
With the result, South Africa ranks second in Group A, with 4 points. South Korea has 3, and should be among the best third-placed teams in the tournament. Until the end of Tuesday night, the opponent would be Egypt. The Africans’ opponent will be Canada, second in Group B.
