Afirka ta Kudu ta yi tarihi a gasar FIFA World Cup 2026, inda ta ci gaba zuwa zagaye na gasa ta farko a duk rayuwarta, bayan ta doke South Korea da ci 1-0 a wasan Rukuni A da aka buga a Mexico.

Lokaci mai matukar muhimmanci ya zo a minti na 62, lokacin da wanda aka maye da shi Moremi ya tunkara gaba kafin ya buga ƙwallon zuwa hanyar Thapelo Maseko. Mai fili ya sarrafa ƙwallon da kwanciyar hankali ya harba harbi ƙasan zuwa kusurwar ƙasa don ba wa ƙungiyar Hugo Broos jagora da ba za su sake rasa ba.

Maseko barazanar da bai gushe ba

Maseko shi ne makami mafi haɗari na farmakin Bafana Bafana a duk tsawon wasan. Tun daga minti na 18, ya sami kansa shi kaɗai a gaban raga bayan hari mai sauri na juyi, sai dai Lee Gi-hyuk ya toshe shi da takurawa ta ban mamaki.

Ya ci gaba da matsa lamba a rabin farko na biyu, inda harbin da ya yi kusa ya toshe a minti na 50, kafin ya ƙarshe sanya dammar da ta fi muhimmanci.

Da wuri a rabi na farko, Maseko ya shirya dama ga Thalente Mbatha da gudu mai wayo a minti na 30. Harbin ƙafar hagu na Mbatha ya tsallake hannun mai tsaron raga, amma yunƙurin ribaundi na Relebohile Mofokeng ya tafi kai tsaye ga Kim Min-jae.

Maseko kuma ya daga harbinsa sama da sandar a cikin takarar mutum ɗaya a minti na 38 — rashin cin kwalliya wanda zai iya zama mai tsada idan Afirka ta Kudu ba ta sami raga ba jim kaɗan bayan hutu.

South Korea ta kasa samun hanya ta wuce

South Korea ta fara wasan da kuzari, ta sami kona da wuri kuma ta ƙirƙiri haɗari ta hanyar Kang-in Lee, wanda harbinsa ya wuce kusa a minti na 8. Sai dai haka, sun yi wahala wajen canza matsin lamba zuwa damar ta gaske yayin da wasan ke ci gaba.

Evidence Makgopa ma ya kusa cin kwallo ga Afirka ta Kudu a minti na 13, yana kai da kai gefe daga matsayin da ya dace a cikin filin hukunci.

South Korea ta matsa a ƙarshen wasan neman kwalliyar daidaitawa, amma Bafana Bafana sun kare da ladabi da ƙarfin hali don kiyaye maki uku — da wurinsu a zagaye na 16.

Ga Afirka ta Kudu, wannan sakamakon yana wakiltar wani muhimmin tarihi na musamman. Ba a taɓa samun ƙasar ta wuce zagaye na rukuni a gasar FIFA World Cup ba, wanda ya sanya ƙararrawar ƙarshen Alhamisi ɗaya daga cikin manyan abubuwan da suka faru a tarihin ƙwallon ƙafa na Afirka ta Kudu.