Mokoena converts penalty kick, receives yellow card suspension as South Africa earns 1-1 tie with Czech Republic

ATLANTA - Teboho Mokoena went through the full emotional spectrum in South Africa's World Cup match against the Czech Republic, during which he converted a late penalty in a 1-1 draw on Thursday.

Mokoena was seen crying when the national anthem was played, he then picked up a second yellow card that will rule him out of the crucial final group match against South Korea. Thanks to his 83rd-minute spot kick on Thursday, South Africa still has a chance to advance.

"I was completely overwhelmed, I thought of my late grandfather," Mokoena said of his pregame emotions.

"I felt his presence. I think he would be proud if he were here. I know that he always believed in me, even when no one else did."

South Africa had been unable to break down the Czech defense and did not register a first effort on target until the 74th minute before Mokoena sent goalkeeper Matěj Kovář the wrong way from the penalty spot in the 83rd minute after a Pavel Šulc handball.

The Czechs paid the price for becoming passive soon after their sixth-minute lead courtesy of Michal Sadilek, set up by Aleksandr Sojka after a long throw-in from Vladimir Coufal had caused havoc in the South Africa defense.

Patrik Schick had wasted a chance before their goal and they only briefly threatened again in the first minutes of the second half when Lukáš Červ was denied by Ronwen Williams and Schick headed into the arms of the keeper on the ensuing corner kick.

"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," Czech coach Miroslav Koubek said.

Both teams picked up their first point after having lost their opening games, the Czechs 2-1 against South Korea and South Africa 2-0 against co-host Mexico.

Mexico plays South Korea later on Thursday, with the winner advancing to the last 32. The final group matches next week are Czech Republic versus Mexico and South Africa versus South Korea.

"It's a little bit of a pity that it's only 1-1 but we just have to win the game against Korea Republic which will be very difficult too. If we play with the same mentality, it will be possible," South Africa coach Hugo Broos said.

The top two from each of the 12 groups reach the round of 32, along with the eight best third-place finishers.

South Africa has never gone beyond the group stage, the Czechs for the last time in 1990 when they reached the quarterfinals.

Thursday's match was officiated by American Tori Penso, the second woman in charge of a men's World Cup game, four years after Stephanie Frappart of France was the referee for Germany versus Costa Rica.

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.

This story was originally published June 18, 2026 at 3:07 PM.