South Africa produced one of the biggest surprises of the group stage after defeating South Korea 1-0 to book a place in the knockout rounds. Thapelo Maseko’s second-half strike proved enough for Bafana Bafana, who started Matchday 3 with just one point but climbed to second place with four points.
Meanwhile, South Korea dropped to third after the defeat. Hong Myung-bo’s side must now wait to see whether three points will be enough to secure one of the tournament’s best third-placed qualification spots.
Mexico secured first place in Group A with a perfect nine points after defeating the Czech Republic 3-0. Mateo Chávez opened the scoring before Julián Quiñones doubled the advantage six minutes later. Álvaro Fidalgo wrapped up the victory in stoppage time, confirming El Tri as Group A winners.
| Matchday | Fixture | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mexico vs South Africa | 2-0 |
| 1 | South Korea vs Czech Republic | 2-1 |
| 2 | Mexico vs South Korea | 1-0 |
| 2 | Czech Republic vs South Africa | 1-1 |
| 3 | South Africa vs South Korea | 1-0 |
| 3 | Mexico vs Czech Republic | 3-0 |
