South Africa achieved a historic milestone at the FIFA World Cup after edging South Korea 1-0 in Monterrey to secure qualification for the knockout stage for the first time ever.
South Korea threatened early in the contest, but South Africa’s defence held firm, with Aubrey Modiba producing a crucial goal-line clearance to deny the Asian side an early breakthrough.
Bafana Bafana’s persistence eventually paid off when Makgopa scored the decisive goal, sealing a famous victory that ensured South Africa finished second in Group A and advanced to the next round.
Elsewhere, Brazil strengthened their status as one of the tournament favourites with a dominant 3-0 victory over Scotland in Miami.
Vinicius Junior starred for the South Americans, netting twice in the first half to become only the fifth Brazilian player to score in all three group-stage matches of a World Cup campaign. Scotland struggled to contain Brazil’s attacking threat throughout the encounter, and Matheus Cunha added a third goal after the break to complete the convincing win.
Although Scotland managed a few attacking moments, including a header on target from Scott McTominay, they were unable to mount a serious comeback. The result sent Brazil comfortably into the knockout stage, while Scotland must now wait to learn whether they can progress as one of the tournament’s best third-placed teams.
In Atlanta, Morocco displayed remarkable character by fighting back twice to defeat Haiti 4-2 and book their place in the knockout rounds.
Haiti, already eliminated from the competition, stunned the Atlas Lions with an early opener from Lenny Joseph before Wilson Isidor restored their lead later in the match. However, Morocco responded strongly, with Achraf Hakimi drawing his side level before halftime and Ismael Saibari adding another goal to continue his impressive scoring form.
Morocco maintained relentless pressure in the second half and eventually took control of the contest. Soufiane Rahimi found the net with a deflected strike before Gessime Yassine scored his first senior international goal deep into stoppage time to secure the victory.
The result extended Morocco’s unbeaten run to 32 matches and confirmed their progression from Group C in second place, while Haiti’s campaign ended without a point from the tournament.
