Former South Africa, Everton and Tottenham Hotspur winger/attacking midfielder Steven Pienaar has called on Bafana Bafana to make more runs in behind in their decisive Group A match against South Korea.
Bafana clinched their first point of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a 1-1 draw to Czechia in Atlanta on Thursday. However, they are still bottom of the group heading into the decisive clash with South Korea in Guadalupe next Wednesday (with kick-off at 3 a.m. on Thursday for viewers in South Africa).
Pienaar took to X during the game against Czechia and wrote: "Why is there no running off the ball from Bafana? They all want the ball to feet, no deep runs."
Although South Africa finished strong, equalising in the 83rd minute through a Teboho Mokoena penalty and threatening to win the game, Pienaar held firm in his belief even after the final whistle.
"Well done boys. Now, on to the next. Please, next, we game we need breaking runs - please boys," Pienaar wrote in a follow-up post.
The former Everton, Spurs, Sunderland, Borussia Dortmund and Ajax star was a key component of Bafana's 2010 World Cup squad. South Africa failed to make the knockout rounds at that tournament despite a 2-1 win over France in their final game.
This Bafana team - like that one - will enter their last match with one point from two group games. However, this time, third place might be enough to make the round of 32 in an expanded tournament.
Mexico lead the group with six points, while South Korea have three and Czechia lead Bafana on goal difference, with the teams deadlocked on one point apiece.
This is South Africa's fourth appearance at the World Cup and they have never made the knockout rounds. After Lyle Foster was relegated from the Premier League with Burnley, there is no current English top-flight star in the squad.
However, South African club football is booming, with Mamelodi Sundowns having secured a second CAF Champions League title in 2025-26, with Mokoena scoring the decisive goal against AS FAR in the final second leg in Rabat, just as he did against Czechia to salvage a point on Thursday in Atlanta.