Bafana Bafana legend Benni McCarthy did not hold back on his take after South Africa fell to a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Mexico in their 2026 FIFA World Cup opener.
It was a bad day at the office for Bafana who did not just lose the match through strikes from Julian Quinones and Raul Jimenez but saw Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane send for an early shower.
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Head coach Hugo Broos caught many by surprise by deploying a 3-5-2 system which eventually fell flat as the home side raced to maximum points at Estadio Azteca on Thursday night.
Orlando Pirates attacking duo Oswin Appollis, who had been Bafana’s most potent attacker in previous matches, and Relebohile Mofokeng started from the bench, with the Belgian mentor opting for Lyle Foster and Iqraam Rayners as his two main strikers.
“We already started off so negative with a defensive shape, and leaving two players up front, ” McCarthy said on SportyTV, as per IOL.
“So, the two players are supposed to play against their back four, and the two midfielders that are incoming.
“Because, like, right from the off, we had Lyle, who was in the opposition half, and Iqraam, and every other single player was in our own half. So, when were we going to get out of our half, you understand?
“I hope they go and they analyse this game properly, where it went wrong, and then we don’t deprive ourselves as a nation, having all our flair players not getting even an opportunity to play.
“You know, when the game is over and then you bring in players, that’s going to do absolutely nothing. So, I think he got it totally wrong.”
Bafana’s all-time leading goalscorer however believes not all is lost despite admitting it was a defeat that left a sour taste in the mouth.
“We take up a good position, trying to play out from the back, but then, just look at that. It’s almost like Mexico set up that trap for us to play there,” added McCarthy.
“And then if you’re going to, and for Ronwen’s sake, if you’re going to play there, make sure that the player is aware of what’s going on behind him.
“You know, you go one-nil down in that crucial stage, and then it’s just downhill from there.
“It’s a hard one to take. A lot of mistakes were made, so hopefully, we need to win one of the two games left, because the third place [team] can still go through, so there is an opportunity,” he said.
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