South Africa’s 2010 World Cup campaign will forever be remembered for one moment above all others. But the story of what followed is one of the most bittersweet in the nation’s footballing history.
Carlos Alberto Parreira – the Brazilian coach who won the World Cup with his home nation in 1994 – led Bafana into the tournament as the first African nation to host the global showpiece. All-time top scorer Benni McCarthy was dropped before a ball was kicked due to fitness concerns – a significant blow to the host nation’s hopes.
Drawn in Group A alongside Mexico, Uruguay and France, Bafana faced a daunting challenge on the world’s biggest stage.
South Africa 1-1 Mexico – Soccer City, Johannesburg, 11 June
The opening match of the entire tournament. Siphiwe Tshabalala’s thunderous left-footed strike in the 53rd minute sent 84,000 supporters and an entire nation into raptures. Rafael Marquez equalised for Mexico in the 79th minute – but nothing could diminish the memory of Tshabalala’s goal.
South Africa 0-3 Uruguay – Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria, 16 June
A brutal evening. Diego Forlan opened the scoring in the 24th minute before goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune was sent off in the 76th minute for fouling Luis Suarez. Forlan converted the resulting penalty in the 80th minute and Alvaro Pereira added a third deep into stoppage time.
South Africa 2-1 France – Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein, 22 June
Bafana signed off with their finest performance – beating a France side that had imploded amid dressing room chaos. Bongani Khumalo and Katlego Mphela scored to give South Africa a famous victory. But Mexico’s simultaneous result meant the hosts were eliminated on goal difference despite finishing level on four points with El Tri.
South Africa became the first host nation in World Cup history to exit in the group stage. Parreira resigned immediately. The heartbreak was real – but Tshabalala’s goal at Soccer City will live forever.
Photo: Gallo Images/Foto24/Christiaan Kotze
