The South African men's team secured its first victory at the FIFA Hockey World Cup, achieving a confident 3-1 win over France in Wavre, Belgium. This match was part of the tournament taking place in Belgium and the Netherlands.
The main hero of the match was forward Mustafa Kassiem, who scored two of his team's three goals. Earlier, the South African men's national team showed an impressive 2-2 draw against three-time champions Australia on Thursday.
Mustafa Kassiem dominated the first half, scoring twice in just three minutes. He opened the scoring in the 17th minute and then doubled the lead in the 19th minute, giving the African champions a 2-0 advantage. French captain Victor Charles managed to narrow the gap shortly before halftime, but South Africa maintained discipline in the second half, continuing to attack and defend reliably.
In the decisive minute of the match, captain Dayan Kassiem scored the winning goal, concluding a memorable performance by the Kassiem family. This victory also served as a form of revenge after two defeats against France at the FIFA Nations Cup two months ago in Cape Town, including a 2-1 final.
Calvin Davis was named Man of the Match for his outstanding performance. After losses to Spain and Ireland at the start of the tournament, South Africa managed to respond with a draw against Australia and a victory over France. On Sunday, the team will face Malaysia as part of its qualification campaign.
A significant milestone was also reached in the women's tournament: the team earned its first point in the ninth to sixteenth qualification phase. Ntsoba Mokoena scored a goal that seemed to be the team's first in World Cup history, but Japan quickly equalized, ending the match 1-1 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
After conceding 15 goals in three matches in Group D against England, India, and China, South Africa demonstrated improved defensive play, holding Japan scoreless for the first fifty minutes. Mokoena scored in the 51st minute, giving the team its first lead, but this advantage did not last long as Hazuki Murayama leveled the score. Neither team could find a winner, which brought South Africa a valuable first point.