Barely any facet of South Africa’s 1-0 win over South Korea resembled perfection. Certainly not their football. They had 31.5% ball possession — the lowest ever for the team at a World Cup game. The goal itself was hardly perfect, either. The goalscorer, Thapelo Maseko’s first touch was much heavier than ideal. His shot was laced with venom and spite, but it could have been saved if the goalkeeper had positioned himself correctly.
Yet, for all their imperfections, South Africa have qualified for the knockouts of the 2026 FIFA World Cup — a statement you would not have believed, had it been furnished in the immediate aftermath of their embarrassing defeat to Mexico. It raises an intriguing question: would they have achieved what they have, becoming only the seventh African nation to reach a World Cup knockout stage, had they been perfect?
Maseko most definitely has not had a perfect career so far. It once seemed it would. He was the youngest player in South Africa’s 2023 AFCON squad. Given his inexperience, not many expected him to play. Not only did he do so, but he also scored. That, too, with his family in attendance.
The same tournament, however, delivered a cruel twist. Maseko ruptured his hamstring and disappeared from the national team picture for two years. By the time he returned, South Africa had found alternatives, and Mamelodi Sundowns FC could offer him little more than a place in their developmental setup. Had he not forced himself to leave the country and join Cypriotic side AEL Limassol on loan, Maseko would not have been at the World Cup.
When news of his selection arrived, his mother reportedly cried so uncontrollably that his father nearly called an ambulance.
Sphephelo ‘Yaya’ Sithole’s campaign at the World Cup has been anything but perfect. His mistake led to the opening goal of the tournament. It was only one of the unwanted firsts attached to his name that day. His red card was also the first of the tournament, and the first since 1994 where a marching order was brandished in the opening encounter.
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Sithole assumed his career was all but over when he fractured both his tibia and fibula. Like Maseko, he lost his place in the national team.
Upon recovering, Sithole acknowledged: “I thought the injury was the end of my career. It was tough mentally because if you are injured, you can’t do anything.”
Today, he ran his socks off. And we do not mention the phrase generically. Data backs the claim — 11.43 kilometres covered, 1.88 kilometres of those in high speed; 53 passes, 49 of those successful. In all of these metrics, he leads the charts among South Africans