BAFANA BREAK THE CURSE: MOREMI’S KILLER PASS, MASEKO’S MAGIC SEND SA INTO WORLD CUP KNOCKOUTS FOR FIRST TIME

History in Monterrey.Cyprus-based Thapelo Maseko buries 63rd-minute winner off Tshepang Moremi assist on his World Cup debut. Hugo Broos’ Bafana Bafana stun South Korea 1-0, finish second in Group A, and book Canada clash as 662 days of pain turn to glory

The last dance continues. Coach Hugo Broos embraces his players after Bafana Bafana’s 1-0 win over South Korea sealed a historic Round of 32 qualification at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Monterrey, 25 June 2026.

By Mpho Dube, Editor-in-Chief

The Azanian | Truth. Fearless. Unfiltered.  

AZANIAFROCOMEDIA – The Catalyst of Impact

MONTERREY, 25 June 2026 – For 32 years and four World Cups, it was the line Bafana Bafana could not cross. Not in 1998. Not in 2002. Not even at home in 2010. The knockout round was South Africa’s football ceiling.

On Tuesday night at Monterrey Stadium, Thapelo Maseko and Tshepang Moremi smashed it.

Maseko, the winger who went 662 days without a competitive start and wrote that the fire in me is fading, scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory over South Korea that sent South Africa into the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 for the first time in history.

The moment came in the 63rd minute. Moremi, on as a substitute and playing his first ever World Cup game, delivered a killer pass – a perfect cross from the right that cut the Korean defence in half. Maseko controlled it, then buried it past Kim Seung-gyu. One touch. One finish. One nation into uncharted territory.

Hugo Broos, who will step down after this tournament, ditched his cautious three-man midfield and finally unleashed Relebohile Mofokeng as a playmaker. The teenager pulled the strings, and Broos got his reward. Bafana fired 11 shots in the first half alone. They came to win. A draw would have sent South Korea through.

South Korea had never lost to an African side at a World Cup when they needed a result. They beat Togo in 2006, drew Nigeria in 2010, and came into this one saying they would not play for a point. Captain Son Heung-min came off the bench to spark them. It was not enough.

This was Maseko’s night. At Afcon 2023 he helped win bronze, then injury killed his momentum. He lost his place at Mamelodi Sundowns, dropped to the reserves, and posted that it feels empty inside. In January 2026, Cyprus club Limassol threw him a lifeline. In February he started again for the first time in nearly two years. 

I learned patience. I learned humility. I learned who I am, he wrote after that game. On Tuesday in Guadalupe, South Africa learned who he is too: a World Cup match-winner.

Broos said before the game this might be his last dance. Not anymore. Bafana Bafana finish Group A on four points, behind Mexico’s nine. Canada wait in the next round.

For a country that has lived with World Cup heartbreak since 1998, for a squad written off after the Mexico loss, for a player who nearly lost his career, this was more than a goal.

This was a record broken. A curse lifted. A nation believing again.

Final score: South Africa 1, South Korea 0. 

And for the first time ever, Bafana Bafana are not going home. They are going forward.

Respect before history. Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams exchanges pennants with South Korea’s captain ahead of kickoff in Monterrey. South Africa would go on to win 1-0 and reach the World Cup knockout round for the first time ever. 25 June 2026.

No way through. Bafana Bafana’s Thalente Mbatha and Mbekezile "TLB" Mbokazi shut down South Korea’s attack as pressure mounts in the must-win Group A clash at Monterrey Stadium, 25 June 2026. South Africa won 1-0.

The man who made history. Thapelo Maseko named Player of the Match after his 63rd-minute winner sent Bafana Bafana into the FIFA World Cup Round of 32 for the first time. 662 days without a start to World Cup hero. Monterrey, 25 June 2026.

The President has arrived. Relebohile Mofokeng runs the show in his first World Cup start. 22 touches, 3 chances created, 11 accurate passes, 5 passes into final third, 3 recoveries. First half masterclass vs South Korea. Monterrey, 25 June 2026.

Superfan Mama Joy Chauke...This is what it means. South African fans erupt in Monterrey as Bafana Bafana beat South Korea 1-0 to qualify for the World Cup knockout stages for the first time in history. 25 June 2026.