Bloemfontein, South Africa - After losing 2-0 to Spain in
the Confederations Cup, South Africa's coach and players discussed
the value of playing both the reigning European champions and a semi-
final possibly against five-time World Cup champions Brazil.
'Matches like tonight are very good for my players,' said Bafana
Bafana's Brazil-born coach Joel Santana, who clearly has one eye on
next year's World Cup finals. 'Playing these good teams and competing
in semi-finals is the best way to get the preparation we need before
next summer.'
It was a sentiment echoed by a number of key players for the 1996
African champions, who failed to qualify for next year's African Cup
of Nations in Angola but qualify for the World Cup finals as hosts.
'Even though we lost, this will only help us,' said midfielder
Steven Pienaar. 'We learned a lesson that if you lose concentration
even for a minute against the big sides, they take advantage of it.'
The biggest lapse in concentration came moments after what seemed
like a highlight for the team, when goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune saved
David Villa's penalty kick in the 51st minute. But Villa, who now has
31 goals in 47 international appearances, made amends the following
minute by opening the scoring when left unmarked at the top of the
area.
'I think we just got a bit too excited after the penalty save,'
said central defender Matthew Booth. 'And against a team like Spain,
they know how to take advantage of that. It was a learning experience
for us playing them.'
The man who gave the penalty away, captain Aaron Mokoena, saw the
value in the contest and was looking forward to the semi-final.
'It's not every day you take on a team as good as Spain, but it's
always good to test yourself against the best,' said the new
Portsmouth man. 'We're in the semi-finals now, which was a big goal
for us. We're excited to be able to keep giving our all in the
tournament.'
Awaiting the South Africa in the semi-final will probably be
Brazil, who would need to lose to Italy by two goals on Sunday to get
knocked off their perch in Group B. Egypt have an outside chance of
winning the group, but they would need to beat the United States,
hope Italy win in the other match and make up goal difference on the
Azzurri.
Looking ahead to the contest, Mokoena's central defensive partner
Matthew Booth said to expect even more from the hosts.
'It was difficult for us to attack a team like Spain knowing that
we could definitely go through with a point,' said the Mamelodi
Sundowns player. 'In the semi-final, you'll see a different team. If
it's Brazil or Italy or Egypt, it doesn't matter. In the knockout
stage, you need to win, and we want to put on a good show.'
Santana summed up the task ahead: 'Against Spain we didn't play
great, but we will play better in the semi-final, no matter who we
play. And then at the World Cup, we will play even better.'
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