With a 2026 Fifa World Cup man of the match award safely tucked away, Bafana Bafana attacking midfielder Thapelo Maseko wanted someone to pinch him because it felt like a dream. A few months ago I went through a rough patch, and now I am here and a Fifa World Cup man of the match. It’s surreal.— Thapelo Maseko“It feels like I am dreaming,” he said with a broad smile as he reflected on the hard-fought 1-0 win over South Korea secured through his 63rd-minute goal. The result saw Bafana end the group stages in second place in Group A with four points as they reached the knockout stages, where they take on co-hosts Canada in their last 32 clash at Los Angeles Stadium on Sunday (9pm SA time). It has not been easy for Maseko in recent months since he left Mamelodi Sundowns, frustrated by lack of game time, and turned out for the Cyprus side AEL Limassol on loan, where he fell in love with the game again. “A few months ago I went through a rough patch, and now I am here and a Fifa World Cup man of the match. It’s surreal, and I am thankful to those who believed in me,” he said. After a disappointing 2-0 opening loss to Mexico, Bafana have mounted a strong turnaround with a point against Czechia and a win over South Korea. Asked about how they turned it around after that poor Mexico performance, that was followed by stinging criticism back home, Maseko said the South Africans never stop believing in themselves. “We have always believed it’s possible because as a group we have enough quality players. You see the quality every day at training and sometimes during matches, and we just had to believe in ourselves.” Bafana have qualified for the knockout stage of the World Cup for the first time, and Maseko said it is a major moment for the country after they failed to do it in France in 1998, South Korea/Japan in 2002 and on home soil in 2010. “It is important for South Africa to be going to the next round of the tournament, and I am grateful to be part of it. The celebrations after the match were relief and happiness. “Happiness, because it is the first time we have qualified for the knockout stage. And relief because we went through a difficult patch, especially after the first game against Mexico, but we have made it.” All the World Cup fixtures hereWorld Cup page hereAll the group profiles hereStar player profiles hereBafana news hereTimesLIVE