South Africa v South Korea: World Cup 2026 – live

Key events 5 min South Africa work the ball forward and earn a corner kick. The ball is recycled out to Mofokeng, who lashes a shot from 22 yards that might have been goalbound if not for a headed deflection from … it looks like Kim Min-jae again. 3 min South Africa reclaim possession and start dealing with the Korean press. I don’t envy them. Got a replay of the corner – it was Bayern Munich defender Kim Min-jae who sent the glancing header just inside the near post, where Aubrey Modiba was there for the crucial block. 2 min Hwang Hee-chan (Wolves) gets free on the left and earns a corner kick. Snap header, and it’s CLEARED OFF THE LINE! 1 min South Korea play the ball back, and their three-man backline is at least 15 yards behind any of the midfielders. It almost as if they’re saying, “Yeah, that’s right. We’re playing with three. What are you gonna do?” South Korea is in red. South Africa is in yellow. The referees are in black, and Tello blows the whistle. I was worried for a bit that we’d start without a word from Peter Oh: “I’m looking forward to this clash of the Souths, and hoping that Oh Hyeon-gyu (no relation, unfortunately) has another ooh-aah moment. His winner against Czechia was oh so nice!” And your last reminder for at least 15 minutes that Alex Abnos is tracking Czechia’s effort to do the impossible in Azteca … In case I haven’t mentioned, this game is in Estadio Monterrey, in the Monterrey suburbs. …