World Cup NOW: Can South Africa make noise in knockout stage?
South Africa advanced to the knockout round Wednesday, beating Italy 3-2 in a thrilling Group G battle.
On the latest edition of "World Cup NOW," Jimmy Conrad, Leslie Osborne and Melissa Ortiz broke down the feat for South Africa and if it can make some noise the rest of the tournament.
The 'World Cup NOW' crew recaps South Africa's 3-2 win vs. Italy
Jimmy Conrad: "I feel like that first half for me in South Africa against Sweden, they showed a little something. It was the first half of the first game I thought, 'This is a team that's got a little of that X-factor.' They've got those intangibles. They're making those plays. They play with confidence. You don't always see that from all these teams. For them to follow through and actually get out of the group is tremendous."
Leslie Osborne: "This is a 105-minute performance. The confidence that this group has — yes they've won the Africa Cup of Nations, they've been here at a stage before winning — but the belief of this group. The unity. How impressive they were, organized defensively and having to come back in your group stage game and everyone kinda thinking Italy was gonna win this game."
Melissa Ortiz: "I think the South Africa-Netherlands matchup will be interesting because they're such a technical team, much more technical than the Italian side that we've seen and also coming off so much confidence in a really great group stage. I don't think South Africa will be able to hold against the Netherlands. … [They're] much more dynamic and dangerous players in comparison to the Italian side."
