South Africa, Third Opponent, to Miss Key Players Against Korea

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South Africa, the final opponent for our national team, drew with the Czech Republic, leaving them with one draw and one loss. They must win against us to advance to the Round of 32. However, they are facing a setback as two key midfielders will be unable to play in the match against Korea.

Reporter Jeon Yeongmin has the story.

[Reporter]

With Tori Penso, only the second female referee in history to officiate a World Cup match, signaling the kickoff, South Africa conceded the opening goal to the Czech Republic's Sadilek in the 6th minute of the first half.

After continuously pressuring the Czech goal, South Africa finally scored an equalizer in the 36th minute of the second half.

Mokoena coolly converted a penalty kick awarded following a handball foul by a Czech player, bringing the match back to level terms.

Having drawn 1-1, South Africa is tied with the Czech Republic with one draw and one loss, but remains at the bottom of Group A due to goal difference.

[Maseko / South Africa National Football Team: Luck was not on our side today. However, our team's performance proved that we can do it, that it is possible.]

For South Africa to keep their slim hopes of reaching the Round of 32 alive, they must defeat our national team in the final match on June 25. However, they have suffered a significant loss in their squad.

Following key midfielder Zwane, who received a three-match suspension after being sent off in the match against Mexico, Mokoena—who covers the most ground and boasts the highest pass completion rate, playing a role similar to our team's Hwang In-beom—will also miss the final match due to accumulated yellow cards.

South Africa's head coach Broos, now facing a bigger headache, expressed extreme caution regarding our national team.

[Hugo Broos / South Africa National Football Team Head Coach: (South Korea) is like a battery. Once you plug it in, they start running and keep running for the full 90 minutes. The third match will certainly not be an easy one.]

The fact that South Africa, considered the weakest team in Group A, has a weakened midfield and cannot afford to focus solely on defense is a favorable condition for our national team, which is strong at exploiting the space behind the opponent's defense.

[Video Editing: Jeon Min-gyu]
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.