Thapelo Maseko was the hero on Thursday morning as South Africa nicked a hard-fought 1-0 win over South Korea at Estadio Monterrey, Guadalupe.
The 22-year old forward got the lone goal in the 63rd minute to guide Bafana Bafana to victory and consequently secure their slot into the knockout stage for the first time.
The player was happy for the win and described it as a surreal moment for the team and nation at large.
“It is an incredible feeling for me. I feel like I’m dreaming, a couple of months ago, I went through some rough patches and now I’m here, FIFA World Cup man of the match, it is surreal and I just want to thank those kept believing in us,” said a delighted Maseko before adding, “We just want to thank the fans who came to the stadium and those back home for the unwavering support and I want to dedicate this man of the match award to them.”
On South Africa making it out of the group for the first time in their fourth World Cup appearance, Maseko said he was happ to be part of the group.
“As a group, we always believe that it is possible with the quality of our players. It is a big one and I’m proud to be apart of it. It was more of relief and happiness because it is the first time in our history to progress to the knockout stages. And considering we have faced some rough patches, if you look at our first match but we have been able to recover and thankfully we made it.”
South Africa who finished second in group B on four points will face co-hosts Canada on Sunday at the Los Angeles Stadium, Inglewood.
