ATLANTA, United States, June 18 (Xinhua) -- South Africa and Czechia played out a 1-1 draw in their second Group A match at the 2026 World Cup here on Thursday, a result that satisfied neither side.
Both teams suffered defeats in the opening round, with South Africa losing 2-0 to Mexico, while Czechia was beaten 2-1 by South Korea.
Czechia made an aggressive start as striker Patrik Schick headed wide of the post just one minute into the game, before the European side broke the deadlock in the sixth minute.
A throw-in allowed Czechia to launch a slick team move, with Alexandr Sojka setting up Michal Sadilek to score what is the fastest goal of the 2026 World Cup so far.
However, it was the only shot on target in the first half, with both sides struggling to create genuine chances.
Czechia had chances to double its lead straight after the break, but South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams pulled off a string of saves to deny Lukas Cerv and Schick.
South Africa earned a precious penalty in the 82nd minute after Pavel Sulc handled the ball, and Teboho Mokoena kept his cool to convert, sending Matej Kovar the wrong way.
The game intensified in the dying minutes, with both sides pushing for a late winner that never materialized.
Coach Miroslav Koubek rued the lapse that cost his side three points in Atlanta after a game in which Czechia had the better chances.
"We're disappointed with this result because I think that, if we look at the chances, we were closer to winning, but we made a mistake that cost us the tie. Despite that, we played better in the second half," he said.
"Yes, we made mistakes, but I'm very proud of the performance today. The Czechia team is powerful and very tall. We did very well. It's a little bit of a pity that it's only 1-1, but we just have to win the game against South Korea, which will be very difficult too. If we play with the same mentality, it will be possible," said South Africa coach Hugo Broos. Enditem
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