World Cup co-hosts Mexico crowned their group stage performance with a 3-0 win against the Czech Republic on Wednesday, while South Africa booked a spot in the knock-out stage for the first time in their history with a 1-0 victory over South Korea.
Mexico had already qualified to the next phase as Group A winners. South Korea need to wait and see if they will finish among the eight best third-placed teams, while the Czech Republic are out.
Mateo Chávez dashed from his own half, skipped over a Czech challenge and coolly slotted the ball home to give Mexico the lead in the 55th minute.
Julián Quinones then added a second in the 61st with one of the most bizarre goals of the tournament so far.
Team-mate Jorge Sanchez received a throughball and his effort was blocked, but the ball deflected on him and onto the path of Quinones, who struck it into the net.
There were loud cheers in the 78th when legendary goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa replaced Raul Rangel to earn his 153rd Mexico cap.
And he joined the party when Alvaro Fidalgo completed the win in stoppage-time.
Ochoa joined Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo and Argentina’s Lionel Messi in the group of players to have been present in six World Cups. But, unlike the other two, he’s only played in four.
“I really think the most important thing is staying calm. The group has that mindset, along with humility. Above all, we’re a very hard-working team,” the goalkeeper said.
“We’re not satisfied with what we’ve done so far, and that’s because we set these goals for ourselves. We’re taking it step by step, one match at a time.”
Bafana Bafana make history
In Monterrey, the Mexican fans in the stadium celebrated their national team goals from distance, but the South Africa fans also got their share in the festivities when their nation broke the deadlock in the 63rd.
Thapelo Maseko fired through the legs of Jens Castrop and beyond the reach of goalkeeper Kim Seung Gyu for the winner, which secured a historic qualification for the knock-outs.
The Bafana Bafana will now face co-hosts Canada in the round of 32 in Los Angeles on Sunday.
“I know how it feels but it’s difficult to explain. Fantastic experience. It was so tough today but we played a very good game,” South Africa coach Hugo Broos said.
“We scored the goal, and then it was 20 minutes of heart beating and waiting for the final whistle. I’m very happy for the guys.”
Maseko added: “It’s unbelievable, it feels like a dream. We went through some rough patches, but this team showed they are capable and they’re strong.”
