South Africa will have to wipe out the memory of a performance which left Bafana Bafana and an entire nation completely deflated if they are to avoid making unwelcome World Cup history, their captain said.
No host nation has ever fallen at the first hurdle in the tournament since it began in 1930 but South Africa’s crashing 3-0 defeat to Uruguay in Pretoria on Wednesday leaves them very likely to set that unwanted precedent.
Only a major upset win against 1998 winners and 2006 runners-up France — plus other favorable results — in Tuesday’s final group match in Bloemfontein can save South Africa from an ignominious group stage exit.
“We’re in a bad position to have to now rely on other teams. We didn’t want this,” skipper Aaron Mokoena said as South Africa digested their defeat.
“It’s not important now to sit and reflect on who did what, what went wrong, referee’s mistakes. It is much more important we move on and forget about what happen,” Mokoena said.
“It’s going be hard to get the belief back. But people are behind us. We have to make sure we get that confidence back if we are to have any chance against France, who are absolutely a top class and experienced side,” he said.
Inside a week of a World Cup for which they spent six years preparing, the home team have conspired to severely deflate the bubble of excitement that has swept through South Africa.
It has seemed mainly psychological for their largely inexperienced team with the players freezing with nerves in their first match against Mexico but managing to overcome it.
But after conceding a 24th minute goal to Uruguay, they never looked capable of producing a fightback.
It would seem implausible now that they can bounce back after apparently crumbling under the weight of expectation.
The thumping by an impressive, well organized Uruguay side, superbly marshalled by Diego Forlan who scored twice, followed a 1-1 draw with Mexico in that far brighter Bafana Bafana performance in the tournament opener on Friday.
South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira blasted Swiss referee Massimo Busacca for reducing his team to 10 men.
Busacca drew the wrath of the Brazilian for issuing a red card to goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune, only the second ever given to a ’keeper in World Cup finals history, in the 76th minute.
“He is the worst referee in this competition,” Parreira said. “I hope we don’t see his face again in any game anymore. He probably does not deserve to be here.”
Khune was trying to take the ball from Ajax star Luis Suarez but caught the front of the Uruguyan’s left boot with his foot and was immediately dismissed, a sending off that ruled him out for Tuesday’s key final group match against France.
“The referee ‘discovered’ a penalty,” Parreira said. “We regret the performance of the referee. It’s the worst performance of the tournament.”
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