South Africa went down 2-0 to Mexico at the Estadio Azteca, finishing with nine men after red cards for Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane.
Watch: Mudau reacts to Zwane red
Khumalo, part of the 2010 World Cup legends squad who watched from the stands in Mexico City, believes the occasion overwhelmed some of Hugo Broos’s players.
“The World Cup comes with heavy weight in terms of emotions and sometimes that can be quite overwhelming,” Khumalo told SABC Sport.
“Fair enough we lost 2-0 but we are still in the tournament. We have two games to go and I believe we can still get it back. We’ll have to come out of our shells just a little bit more.”
Fellow Bafana legend Surprise Moriri echoed that view, pointing to the offensive phase as the key area to address against Czechia.
“This is not how we expected to start but we must not lose hope,” Moriri said. “It’s just a shame that we got those two red cards. The boys just have to regroup and hopefully we get some points in the next two games.”
READ: Where was the Bafana that qualified?
Bafana face Czechia without Sithole and Zwane through suspension. Czechia lost their opener 2-1 to South Korea, leaving both sides
desperate for a result.
Goal difference could prove crucial in deciding the best third-placed teams, with three points potentially enough to advance to the knockout phase.
Photo: REUTERS/Raquel Cunha
