Confederations Cup: South Africa Put Up a Strong Fight Against Spain

For the second time in a row, South Africa have put in a determined effort against a seemingly stronger opponent.  This time, it almost paid off.

I must admit that I did not think they had the attacking strength to make a real match of it, and that Spain would not have a difficult time in winning.  Like many others, I was in for a surprise.

A strong first half from the South-African team looked certain to set them on the path to victory.  The main difference here was a much more determined attacking effort than they had shown in the previous game, with five shots in the half, all on-target.

Spain only managed one shot, courtesy of David Villa.  This came very early in the match, just a few minutes after the kick off, and it was well-saved by Itumeleng Khune.

The Spaniards regrouped in the second half and showed much better form, but still, despite taking many more shots than the South Africans, they could not get the ball into the net.

Meanwhile, the South African team were struggling to gain possession, and no shots were being fired at their end.  But then, in the 73rd minute, an excellent pass from Siphiwe Tshabalala connected with Katlego Mphela who put it through to put the first score on the board.

Pandemonium!  South Africa were actually ahead!  This was incredible stuff, and the game had suddenly become intensely interesting.  Spain were now looking straight down the barrel of potentially losing a second straight match to a team that nearly everyone thought would be easily contained.

It's true that by this point the South Africans had only fired a single shot in the second half, but if that shot connects and does the job, then that is what counts.

Unfortunately, that looked like it would be South Africa's last opportunity to make Iker Casillas jump.  From that point on, with less than 15 minutes left on the clock, the Spaniards were desperate to prevent any similar incidents.

Bernard Parker tried to break through the line for another attempt, but was ruled offside.  The desperation of the Spanish team was beginning to show when Raúl Albiol was carded for his not-too-gentle treatment of Tsepo Peter Masilela, giving away a free kick and losing even more precious time.

And then, suddenly, for South Africa the fairytale came to an end.  Daniel Güiza found himself with the ball inside the penalty box and used the opportunity to level the score.

The agony for the South Africans at this moment must have been immense, but still they could cling to the hope of salvaging a draw, or maybe getting another chance to score themselves, even with under five minutes left to play.

But that hope was soon shattered as South Africa was dealt yet another punishing blow by Daniel Güiza less than a minute later, this time with a long kick from the left flank that Khune could not manage to stop. 

It looked like there was no coming back from this point, but suddenly there was more drama at the last moment.  Katlego Mphela managed to catch Casillas by surprise and took the game into extra time with his equalizer.

Xavi Alonso came to the rescue of Spain, converting a free kick after Kagisho Evidence Dikgacoi committed a foul against Llorente. The final score was 3-2, with Spain once again victorious.

Both teams must have learned some valuable lessons from this match.  Most importantly, the promising start from South Africa in the early part of the game must give them some encouragement as they prepare for their much bigger assignment next year.