World Cup highlights: Brazil impress as South Africa secure historic qualification

[p][a href="https://open.spotify.com/episode/22yp0rcHKRR1XHaPPji7ZA?si=UZrEmiAcTse2m5yo5zMkVw"][b]Listen to this article on Spotify here.[/b][/a][/p][p][i][b]Flashscore[/b][/i] brings you the best of the tournament in our daily World Cup highlights. Here's what happened on day 14.[/p][embed guid="b6e0664f-6438-4f83-bb42-c3ffc595ca5a" url="https://x.com/FIFAWorldCup/status/2069988703934586949?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][h2]The highlights[/h2][p]The doubts and pessimism surrounding [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/brazil/I9l9aqLq/"]Brazil[/a] are now a thing of the past. After a poor performance in the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/brazil-I9l9aqLq/morocco-IDKYO3R8/?mid=b5JayTEd"]draw with Morocco[/a] and doing what was expected [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/brazil-I9l9aqLq/haiti-nk4v10Z1/?mid=IRyRv2Ll"]against Haiti[/a], the Selecao delivered their best performance in the [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/brazil-I9l9aqLq/scotland-fZRU25WH/?mid=EgVZxtj1"]3-0 win[/a] over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/scotland/fZRU25WH/"]Scotland[/a]. The star of the show? [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/vinicius-junior/CbwQ4Mws/"]Vinicius Junior[/a], once again, with two goals.[/p][p]The number 7 became the first Brazilian since Rivaldo and Ronaldo in 2002 to score in all three group stage matches. And Brazil finished top of their group for the 12th consecutive time - every edition since 1982.[/p][p]Not so good for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/morocco/IDKYO3R8/"]Morocco[/a], whose [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/haiti-nk4v10Z1/morocco-IDKYO3R8/?mid=n7TsyKKD"]4-2 win[/a] over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/haiti/nk4v10Z1/"]Haiti[/a] wasn't enough to top Group C. But it was enough to reach the knockouts for the second time in a row, something that had never happened before.[/p][image alt="Bruno Guimaraes and Vini Jr. delivered a great performance" id="87ee6ce8-c258-4b6c-bcb4-afcc08400dd8" credit-line="IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Nathan Ray Seebeck" guid="47e8a783-ef9b-4f8f-932c-a69d83541605" original-width="4413" original-height="2906" /][p]The story of the day, however, belongs to another team from the continent: [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/south-africa/W2ijYvlr/"]South Africa[/a], who secured a historic spot in the knockouts. Bafana Bafana stunned the world with a [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/south-africa-W2ijYvlr/south-korea-K6Gs7P6G/?mid=4rr4ngNc"]1-0 win[/a] over [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/south-korea/K6Gs7P6G/"]South Korea[/a] and made it out of the group stage at the fourth attempt.[/p][p]If you’re not tired of firsts, there was also [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/mexico/O6iHcNkd/"]Mexico[/a], who won all three group stage matches for the first time ever. El Tri beat [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/czech-republic/6LHwBDGU/"]Czech Republic[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/czech-republic-6LHwBDGU/mexico-O6iHcNkd/?mid=GCoIA5bf"]3-0[/a] and paid tribute to legend Guillermo Ochoa, who came on in the second half.[/p][image alt="South Africa made history by advancing from Group A of the World Cup" id="adb5bcee-ca11-4835-9dc1-3463d937297b" credit-line="REUTERS/Eloisa Sanchez" guid="22a31d3f-7457-49f8-8d7a-898117ce24f9" original-width="5225" original-height="3337" /][p]The other host nation to take the field didn’t have the same luck, but also reached the knockouts for the first time. That’s [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/canada/x4toKORL/"]Canada[/a], who lost to group leaders [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/switzerland/rHJ2vy1B/"]Switzerland[/a] [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/canada-x4toKORL/switzerland-rHJ2vy1B/?mid=2wQjwkpp"]2-1[/a], finished second in Group B, and will face South Africa.[/p][p]We haven’t forgotten about the third-placed teams - [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/bosnia-herzegovina/fqe7WYTr/"]Bosnia and Herzegovina[/a], Scotland, and South Korea. They’ll endure the agony of waiting over the next few days to see if they advance as one of the top eight third-placed teams. Meanwhile, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/qatar/zqzHL77i/"]Qatar[/a], Haiti, and Czech Republic are heading home early.[/p][embed guid="25a45ecb-08f7-499a-a515-b99d0b242c85" url="https://x.com/FIFAWorldCup/status/2069986796906147927?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Goal of the day[/h2][p]Let’s break protocol and pick the most important goal instead of the most beautiful. Apologies to the day’s stunners, especially Haiti’s, but we’re opening the door to South Africa’s new legend.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/moremi-tshepang/QXY2UJk0/"]Moremi[/a] sprinted down the left and crossed for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/maseko-thapelo/fPICDHL5/"]Thapelo Maseko[/a], who controlled and fired a shot into the corner to seal a historic win for Bafana Bafana. A beautiful team goal from a side that stuck to its style, building from the back, pass by pass.[/p][image alt="Thapelo Maseko goal" id="4f91507c-dd16-4a56-97fe-5d7a5408783e" credit-line="Opta by StatsPerform" guid="ec44f39e-3903-4295-9cdc-be4c0489d6c3" original-width="1920" original-height="1080" /][h2]Player of the day[/h2][p]This World Cup of stars also belongs to Vinicius Junior. If the spotlight is on [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/messi-lionel/vgOOdZbd/"]Lionel Messi[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mbappe-kylian/Wn6E2SED/"]Kylian Mbappe[/a], [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/haaland-erling/UmV9iQmE/"]Erling Haaland[/a], and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/kane-harry/v5HSlEAa/"]Harry Kane[/a], it’s time to put the Brazilian in the same bracket.[/p][p]The Selecao’s star capped off his group stage with two goals and a 9.3 rating in the revamped [i]Flashscore[/i] system. Vini dazzled with five successful dribbles out of eight attempts and posted the highest individual expected goals (xG) in this World Cup: 3.06.[/p][embed guid="f29df834-3d45-4213-a125-3fd30d75236f" url="https://x.com/FIFAWorldCup/status/2069953290608197710?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][h2]Best of social media[/h2][p]South Africa’s celebrations will go on for hours, no matter when you’re reading this. Dancing and singing for their historic qualification filled the Bafana Bafana dressing room - all accompanied by a great feast.[/p][embed guid="8b22c171-8ff4-4980-872f-b4c006f4b14a" url="https://x.com/MickyJnr__/status/2069991665914220925?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]And speaking of singing, with every great performance from Vini Jr., new tributes pop up across social media. Enjoy this beautiful voice and see you tomorrow.[/p][embed guid="8e04d3c8-8967-4aa9-a970-31248bfe9178" url="https://x.com/zendwfs/status/2069906682969247847?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][infobox id="4ccc1b10-d68f-4c97-bcf4-5e613c17c2e3" /]