South Africa vs. South Korea: Five players who could define the Group A decider in Monterrey

South Africa's World Cup endurance is connected the enactment against South Korea successful Thursday morning's Group A finale successful Monterrey, and Hugo Broos's broadside cognize that lone a triumph volition support their last-32 hopes alive. South Korea, who beryllium 2nd connected 3 points, necessitate conscionable a gully to corroborate their progression, but volition arsenic beryllium anxious to decorativeness the occupation and unafraid 2nd place.

With truthful overmuch astatine involvement for some sides, present are the 5 players who are astir apt to power the outcome.

South Africa's cardinal men

Ronwen Williams

Williams has been comfortably South Africa's astir dependable performer astatine this World Cup, and his value to Broos's broadside cannot beryllium overstated.

None of the 3 goals conceded by Bafana Bafana person been attributable to the goalkeeper, whose reflexes and composure person repeatedly saved his broadside from heavier defeats. Against Mexico, a one-handed halt to contradict Raul Jimenez wrong the archetypal 10 minutes acceptable the code for a show that kept the harm to a manageable scoreline. South Africa volition request their skipper astatine his champion erstwhile more.

Relebohile Mofokeng

Few players person made a much contiguous interaction erstwhile introduced from the seat astatine this tournament. The Orlando Pirates playmaker transformed South Africa's signifier and tempo erstwhile helium came connected astatine half-time against the Czech Republic, and determination is simply a beardown statement that helium should commencement here.

Mofokeng's burst of pace, adjacent power successful congested areas and quality successful down the antiaircraft enactment marque him ideally suited to a lucifer wherever South Korea are apt to propulsion guardant successful hunt of a win. Space volition unfastened up, and Mofokeng is the benignant of subordinate susceptible of exploiting it earlier a defence tin recover.

Evidence Makgopa

The Orlando Pirates striker tends to alert nether the radar successful this South Africa squad, but Thursday's crippled could beryllium built for him.

Physical, beardown successful the aerial and a genuine menace from crosses and set-pieces, Makgopa presents a matchup occupation that South Korea's typically compact and smaller-framed defenders whitethorn conflict to header with. If Broos wants to occupation the Korean backline straight alternatively than trying to play done them, Makgopa is the astir credible instrumentality to bash truthful — and a lawsuit tin beryllium made for handing him the commencement up of Lyle Foster and Iqraam Rayners.

South Korea's cardinal men

Kim Min-jae

The Bayern Munich centre-back is South Korea's anchor astatine the backmost and among the astir recognisable names successful the Asian nation's squad for bully reason. His operation of betterment pace, aerial authorization and carnal beingness sets the code defensively, and the erstwhile Napoli antheral brings a quiescent authorization to those astir him.

Set-pieces are the 1 country wherever South Africa volition look to trial him from the other absorption — Kim is arsenic unsafe arsenic an attacking unit from corners and free-kicks, truthful Broos's broadside indispensable beryllium alert to his runs forward.

Kim Seung-gyu

The South Korea goalkeeper has already caught the oculus astatine this World Cup with a drawstring of important interventions, astir notably a trio of outstanding saves that kept Mexico to a azygous extremity successful the 2nd radical game.

Across his 2 appearances, Kim has stopped six of the 8 shots helium has faced, a 75 per cent prevention complaint that reflects some his shot-stopping quality and his composure nether pressure. His method prime with the shot astatine his feet is different asset, allowing him to motorboat attacks from heavy and lend to the build-up successful a mode that extends South Korea's menace beyond the antiaircraft third.

Son Heung-min

South Korea's skipper and talisman remains their astir unsafe attacking outlet contempt entering the second stages of his career. The 33-year-old whitethorn not person the electrical gait that made him 1 of the Premier League's astir feared forwards during his decennary astatine Tottenham Hotspur, but helium has replaced it with an quality and positional trade that is arguably harder to support against.

Son's quality to run efficaciously crossed the full frontline — done the middle, successful down oregon retired wide — means South Africa volition person nary cleanable mode to man-mark him retired of the game. His 146 caps and 56 planetary goals for South Korea underline the pedigree that Bafana Bafana's backline volition person to contend with from the archetypal whistle.