With Mexico having already secured their place in the knockout round, the remaining direct qualification spot will almost certainly be decided after the clash between the South Korean representative and "Bafana Bafana" (8 AM on June 25th).
In terms of overall strength, South Korea is considered slightly superior thanks to its squad of players who have played or are currently playing in Europe. Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in remain two names capable of making a difference with their star performances. A win against South Africa would secure all three points for Coach Hong Myung-bo's team, guaranteeing their qualification for the knockout stage.
This would be the first time South Korea has advanced beyond the World Cup group stage twice in a row if they beat South Africa (Photo: FIFA).
However, the East Asian team's journey in North America this year has not been very reassuring. After a rather difficult performance against the Czech Republic in their opening match, South Korea succumbed to Mexico due to a mistake by goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu. The two matches so far have also revealed some limitations of the South Korean team, especially their attacking speed which doesn't match their superior ball possession.
Conversely, South Africa, despite not having won a single match in 2026, is a very formidable team with a strong physical foundation. Teboho Mokoena's equalizer against the Czech Republic not only kept Hugo Broos's team's hopes of progressing alive but also boosted their confidence ahead of the crucial match against South Korea.
In their three previous World Cup appearances, "Bafana Bafana" were generally not easy to beat in the final group stage match. In 2010, they even defeated the then-reigning runners-up, France, contributing to "Les Bleus" exiting the tournament with only one point in the group stage.
However, South Africa is suffering a significant setback due to the absence of key midfielder Mokoena, who is serving a suspension.
This is likely to be a closely contested match. South Korea has more star players and holds the advantage in terms of their own destiny. However, if they don't improve their ability to counter pressing and their ball circulation speed, they could pay the price against a physically strong South Africa team that is always ready to spring surprises.
In the other match played at the same time, the Czech Republic must win against hosts Mexico to keep their hopes of advancing alive. The outcome of this match will be decided by whether the Czech Republic's attack, which has scored in 9 consecutive matches, can penetrate Mexico's defense, which has only conceded 2 goals in their last 10 games.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/han-quoc-nam-phi-quyet-dinh-ve-di-tiep-1962606231943054.htm
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