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Bafana Bafana were held to a 1-1 draw by Czechia at Atlanta Stadium in a 2026 FIFA World Cup group match that the South African senior men’s national team could have won with a bit of luck on Thursday afternoon.
Coach Hugo Broos’ charges found themselves on the backfoot early in the game after Michal Sadílek put Czechia in the lead in the sixth minute. The South African fans who arrived in Atlanta, the capital of the U.S. state of Georgia, in huge numbers had to wait until the 82nd minute when inspirational midfielder Teboho Mokoena drew Bafana Bafana level from the penalty spot. Mokoena calmly converted the penalty and made Czechia pay the price after livewire Thapelo Maseko’s shot was blocked by the arm of Pavel Šulcwas inside the area to earn the spot kick.
“I think that we played a very good game today, except for the one moment in the beginning of the first half where we did not concentrate, nor maintain focus. We knew that number five (Vladimír Coufal) had a long throw-in, but we let him surprise us. You know that at this level, you pay for such a mistake in cash. But except for that, I think that Bafana Bafana had a very good game,” Broos said
Bafana Bafana will return to their base camp in Pachuca, Mexico, tomorrow ahead of next week’s final 2026 FIFA World Cup Group A match against South Korea.