Progress is at risk
Late hand penalty: outsider shocks the Czech Republic
Updated June 18, 2026 – 8:12 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
In Group A, the two losers of the first matchday, the Czech Republic and South Africa, meet. Both disappoint again.
Patrick Schick remained pale again – and the Czech Republic is threatening WM already the early exit: The team around the Bundesliga star couldn’t get more than a 1-1 (1-0) draw in the opening loser’s duel against outsiders South Africa and therefore probably needs a win to finish the group against hosts Mexico. The same applies to “Bafana-Bafana”, who will play against South Korea on June 24th.
Under the direction of only the second World Cup referee Tori Penso, Michal Sadilek (6th) gave the Czech Republic an early lead, but Teboho Mokoena (83rd, hand penalty) hit back late in Atlanta. Meanwhile, the American Penso followed in the footsteps of the Frenchwoman Stéphanie Frappart, who made history as a pioneer four years ago in Qatar with her appearance in the game between Germany and Costa Rica (4:2). Penso had no problems with the group game, showed a very confident performance and immediately awarded a penalty after Pavel Sulc’s handball.
This is how the game went:
The Czechs were hoping for a stronger Schick after the 1:2 defeat against South Korea. The star player only had eleven touches of the ball at the start and had no shot on goal and was replaced after 63 minutes, completely frustrated. Despite the criticism from home, his teammates gave him full trust. “We just have to put him in the best possible positions and help him,” said captain Ladislav Krejci. The team needs the “skills” of the Leverkusen player.
And in fact, after just 45 seconds, Schick got a free header at the five-pointer, but the finish was a complete failure. The Czech Republic immediately stepped up the pace and overran the outsiders in the early stages. Sadilek rewarded the lightning start after a quick throw-in and perfect direct delivery from Alexandr Sojka. It was only after about a quarter of an hour that “Bafana-Bafana” got a better handle on the Europeans’ attack.
A game now developed at eye level – but at a manageable level. There was hardly any danger in front of the goals until half time. After the break, the Czechs pushed for a quick preliminary decision, but Lukas Cerv (47th) and again Schick (48th) missed good opportunities. Once again the pressure phase ended in a hurry and the encounter sputtered along. South Africa struggled, but completely lacked the means to attack.
Evidence Makgopa’s harmless header was the first shot ever on goal by ex-Leverkusen player Matej Kovar after 74 minutes. A penalty ultimately had to help.