South Africa beaten by Czech Republic, World Cup hopes fade

Czech Republic 1–0 South Africa in the second Group A match, and Bafana Bafana are bottom with zero points and no goals scored. A tournament that began with a 2–0 defeat to Mexico now looks close to over, with German reports already questioning whether South Africa's World Cup is done after two games (1). The prediction models had flagged this squad as the weakest in the competition, and the numbers are backing that up. Two experienced midfielders will also miss the next match through suspension, leaving Hugo Broos with even fewer options as the knockout round slips out of reach.