They can put the matches away, at least for a while. Before this game, Hugo Broos had responded to fierce criticism over South Africa’s start to the World Cup by revealing that eight months ago after qualification a friend had said they would erect a statue of him and the coach had replied by saying: “Make it out of wood; that way it will burn more easily.” Beaten 2-0 by Mexico, they were seven minutes away from following that with a 1-0 loss to Czechia, left with no points, no goals and not much hope. But from almost nowhere, in an arena that Broos criticised as “not a football stadium”, they got the penalty that allows them to fight another day.

Pavel Sulc was the unfortunate man who gave it away, not given time to remove his hand from the path of another long shot. Teboho Mokoena was the man who scored it and what it means could be seen not just in how he celebrated then but in the tears that had rolled during the national anthem before. A 1-1 draw may not be a great result and it wasn’t always a great game but there was a smile from Mokoena at the end, and life too. There was also pride from Broos, who insisted his team had played “good football” and “made chances”, and expressed disappointment at performing under a closed roof in Atlanta.

“Only the grass is football, all the rest is not,” he said. “When you compare it to the Azteca for example: that’s a football stadium. I rather like a real football stadium. About the drinks [break]: it’s very, very useful when it’s hot. In other cases, the rhythm is lost.”

Broos added: “Czechia don’t like to play football or the passing game. It is very straight: they are all 1m 90cm or taller. If you like football, you like more the game we played today than the day they did.”

Miroslav Kovbek, the Czechia coach, replied: “That is his opinion; my opinion is different. Looking at the chances, we were closer to victory.”

That neither of them got it means both can still go through. A win over South Korea would mean South Africa progress, although a second yellow card means Mokoena will miss the game. A win for Czechia against Mexico would see them through too. Whether either is capable is a different matter.

“This will be different,” Kovbek had insisted after Czechia’s opening-game defeat by South Korea. But in truth this wasn’t much better: between the first goal on five minutes and the last on 83 there was little to excite, even if a final flurry made for a fun finish.

It had not started well. They had been playing 45 seconds when a long, looped cross found Patrik Schick alone. With the ball falling from a height and the contact weak, the attempt on goal dribbled apologetically wide.

Czechia, though, were dominating and led after just five minutes, their second World Cup goal beginning the way their first had: from a throw-in. Up the line it went, Adam Hlozek escaping to pull the ball across an almost empty area. Khuliso Mudau watched it pass. Wondering whether to stay or go, by the time he had decided it was too late. With one neat touch, Alexandr Sojka took Mudau out the game and set up Michal Sadilek to finish.

South Africa were wobbling, Czechia accumulating four shots inside 10 minutes. A deflected effort from Oswin Appollis which hit the side-netting soon after was South Africa’s first and announced that they had at least turned up. Czechia had invited them in and although there were few chances, Iqraam Rayners almost reached a Mudau cross. A neat set up then saw Mokoena thumped over from 25 yards. And Matej Kovar dropped the ball at the feet of Thapelo Maseko, whose shot was blocked.

The second half began with Czechia seeking to reassert themselves, Schick’s header stopped by Ronwen Williams before Zeleny’s clever pass nearly set up Michal Sadilek. Yet this quickly slipped into something more cautious, albeit with South Africa offering a little more, mostly through Oswin Appollis. Not much happened in the third quarter before, to more boos, the referee Tori Penso sent them to the touchline for more drinks they did not need and a team talk they probably did.

South Africa needed something, that was for sure. What they got was a gift. Czechia had let them play, which did not seem the worst plan given how little they created. But coming inside from the right, Maseko’s effort from outside the area, the ball hit Sulc’s arm inside it and Penso didn’t hesitate. “We were not lucky but I think it was OK to call it a handball,” Kovbek conceded.

From the spot Mokoena scored, joy exploding and ushering in one last push, more happening in the final 10 minutes than the previous 80. Lukas Provod struck wide at one end and suddenly, five minutes into added time, ­Evidence Makgopa was in, only to hit at the keeper. There was still time for one more chance, David Zima stopping a 96th-minute Aubrey Modiba shot that really would have been a fire starter.