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South Africa’s World Cup pundits were left speechless in a viral clip after their drubbing by Mexico in the tournament opener.
The hopes and dreams of the nation were punctured on Thursday night as Bafana Bafana fell prey to the World Cup co-hosts at the timeless Estadio Azteca.
While the 2-0 scoreline was hardly dreadful, South Africa suffered two red cards and their error-strewn performance gave much cause for consternation.
That’s why Benni McCarthy, Quinton Fortune, and Aaron Mokoena fell silent on South African television as they were asked what had gone wrong.
The show’s presenter was smirking as he put the question to the former Blackburn, Manchester United, and Portsmouth stars.
Their silence lasted for around half a minute and reflected the dumbfounded response of the nation to what they had witnessed.
South Africa’s pundits fell silent after their 2-0 defeat by Mexico (pictured: Quinton Fortune)
Benni McCarthy (left) and Aaron Mokoena (right) were speechless after the defeat
South Africa suffered a bruising defeat at the hands of Mexico, which could have been worse
South Africa’s World Cup is far from over but their hopes of progressing have taken a hit.
They face matches against South Korea and Czechia, both of whom are generally considered stronger than them.
South Korea looked particularly dangerous overnight as they beat Czechia 2-1.
One win may be enough for a team to progress under the expanded tournament’s rules, which will see the eight-best third-placed teams from across the 12 groups progress alongside the top two from each.
In that regard, South Africa still have hope but it is an uphill battle. Their task will only be made harder by the suspensions of Themba Zwane and the unfortunately named Yaya Sithole after their red cards on Thursday night.
Manager Hugo Broos retained an upbeat mood in the aftermath of his team’s opening-day defeat.
‘You’re playing a World Cup, you’re playing against a really good team, but we played a good game,’ he said.
‘Offensively I think we have to improve. If we can play the same game but be better offensively, then I’m sure we will have a better result.
‘The first card [Sithole] I think you have to accept. The second, I think you can discuss because it is the Mexican player who blocks my player. But it’s the appreciation of the referee and we have to accept it.
‘We have two players who can’t play in the next game but we still have other players and if we can show the same mentality and the same way we play today, I’m sure we will have good results in the next two games.’
