South Africa’s players take part in a training session. (PICS AFP)
Doha, Qatar: One match into the FIFA World Cup and the margin for error has already disappeared for South Africa and Czechia.
When the two nations meet at Atlanta Stadium today in their second Group A fixture, it is a chance to rescue their campaigns before the knockout dream begins to slip away.
With co-hosts Mexico and Republic of Korea opening the group with victories, defeat here would leave the losing side staring at an uphill battle heading into the final round of fixtures.
South Africa arrive carrying both disappointment and frustration after a chaotic opening night against co-hosts Mexico.
Bafana Bafana were beaten 2-0 at Azteca Stadium, but the scoreline only told part of the story as South Africa had two players sent off and finished the match with nine men.
South Africa, have shown before that they can recover from setbacks. During their impressive run to a bronze medal at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, they bounced back after an opening defeat.
Standing opposite them will be a Czech side equally desperate for a response.
The Europeans returned to the World Cup for the first time in two decades hoping to make an immediate statement and they almost did so against Republic of Korea. Defender Ladislav Krejci handed them an early advantage, but the Czechs were eventually undone by a South Korean comeback and left empty-handed after a 2-1 defeat.
Czechia may take encouragement from large parts of their opening performance. They looked organised, dangerous from set pieces and physically strong and could prove decisive against a South African side. With a difficult final group fixture against Mexico still to come, Czechia know another defeat would leave their World Cup hopes hanging by a thread. There is also an interesting contrast in styles.
South Africa will look to use their pace out wide, while Czechia are likely to depend on their organisation, physicality and patient build-up play. Both sides will also look to key individuals to make the difference.
South Africa captain Ronwen Williams will again be a key figure in goal, while Lyle Foster is expected to lead the attack. However, Bafana Bafana will be without Themba Zwane and Sphephelo Sithole after both were sent off in the opening defeat to Mexico.
Czechia will look to Tomas Souček for leadership in midfield, while Patrik Schick remains their main goal threat, supported by Adam Hlozek in attack.
South Africa head coach Hugo Henri Broos said the 2-0 opening defeat to Mexico served as a vital “wake-up call” for his squad. He emphasized that the team’s struggles stemmed largely from a lack of experience on such a big stage and called for a stronger response in their crucial encounter with Czechia.
“Against South Africa, we have to get it right,” Czechia defender Jaroslav Zeleny said. “Mexico will probably be a tougher challenge afterwards, so we have to give everything in the match against South Africa and absolutely make sure we win it.”
With just one group match remaining after this, neither side can afford to lose. The equation is simple: win, and the path to the knockout stages remains open; draw, and both teams leave themselves vulnerable; defeat, and their World Cup hopes could effectively be over before the group stage has truly begun. One way or another, somebody’s campaign will take a heavy hit in Atlanta.
