Missed chances push Bafana Bafana to draw opening match

Considered the weakest team in Group A, which also consists of France and Uruguay, Bafana Bafana changed from a seemingly jaded outfit at the start of the game to show flashes of brilliance in the 16th minute, crack Everton midfieder, Stephen Pienaar engineering most of their moves, Reneilwe Letsholonyane cutting Mexican attacks in the middle of the park, while captain Aaron Mokoena and goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune held fort at the back.

The Mexicans relied mostly on their trademark counter-attacks, with much of their forays into the Bafana danger zone breaching the hosts left flank, where Lucas Thwala had a nightmarish game and had to be substituted for Tsepo Masilela at the beginning of the first half. Siphiwe Tshabalala opened the scoring for South Africa with a 55th-minute thunderbolt, which hit the top corner, after he was released by Mphela.

However, a lapse in concentration at the back by the South Africans allowed Rafael Marquez to poke home and level matters from a set piece, unmarked in the .minute. In the closing minutes Mphela thundered down on goal and made space to shoot, but saw his shot trickle off the post. Modise had also squandered a good chance, shooting into the goalkeeper when, like Mphela, he should have scored. In the best chance of the first half for Bafana, Siphiwe Tshabalalas cross was a fraction too high for Katlego Mphela to get his head onto.

Mexico forward Guillermo Franco was thwarted at close range by Itumeleng Khune after an excellent chip pass on the half hour mark.

South Africa will now have it all to do in their remaining two group matches, first against Uruguay in Pretoria Wednesday and next against 1998 champions France in Bloemfontein on June 22. Carlos Alberto Parreira and his team will be disappointed at not having punished Mexico when the match had swung into their favour after the opening goal.