Czech Republic's 4-2-3-1 was ideally suited to breaking down South Africa's compact 4-4-2. The double pivot of Souček and Darida gave them structural security while Hložek's movement in the left half-space was the key tactical detail — his ability to drift inside created the overload that unlocked the opener. South Africa's equaliser exposed the one vulnerability in the Czech shape: Krejčí at left-back was isolated against the physical Foster, and Mokoena's diagonal pass was the perfect exploit. The decisive factor ultimately was Czech Republic's set-piece superiority; with Souček in the box and Provod delivering, they carry a genuine dead-ball threat that will concern every opponent in Group A. Bafana Bafana's high work rate and direct play will cause problems for other teams in the group, but the quality gap in the final third proved decisive.

• Patrik Schick has now scored in 4 consecutive major tournament appearances for Czech Republic — a national record.
• Tomáš Souček's header was his 7th international goal, all coming from set-pieces — a remarkable aerial threat.
• South Africa's xG of 0.97 reflects their genuine threat; Bafana Bafana had 3 shots on target, the most by an African side vs a European opponent in this tournament's opening round.
• Czech Republic dominated possession (58%) but South Africa's 4-4-2 block restricted them to just 6 shots on target from 14 attempts.
• Teboho Mokoena covered 11.8 km — the highest distance of any player on the pitch — and created the equaliser before his booking curtailed his influence.
• Lukáš Provod's delivery from set-pieces was a decisive weapon: 3 key passes, 1 direct assist from a dead-ball situation.