Cape Town - Mothobi Mvala has apologised for receiving his marching orders in South Africa's 0-0 draw with Brazil in the opening match of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
The star-studded hosts were frustrated by a resilient South African defense who looked equally dangerous going forward, however the dismissal of Mvala changed the complexion of the game.
Mvala was sent off in the 58th minute following a second yellow card - leaving Owen Da Gama's side vulnerable to an onslaught by the Selecao.
"I feel really bad for getting a red card and I feel as though I made a big mistake which was unnecessary, but I had to do something in the situation," he told SAFA's website.
"I want to apologise to my teammates and the country as a whole, as I may have disappointed a lot of people. I believe I have learnt a lot from that mistake."
The defensive midfielder will subsequently miss South Africa's fixture against Denmark on Sunday 7 August, and sang his team's praises in dealing with Brazil's wave of attacks despite the numerical disadvantage.
"I also want to applaud my teammates for their courageous performance after my departure," he added. "We played really well, and they continued even during my absence.
"They did extremely well, and I just believe had it not been for my error maybe we could have attacked more instead of being defensive for the last 30 minutes. It was hard work but they pulled it off."
The star-studded hosts were frustrated by a resilient South African defense who looked equally dangerous going forward, however the dismissal of Mvala changed the complexion of the game.
Mvala was sent off in the 58th minute following a second yellow card - leaving Owen Da Gama's side vulnerable to an onslaught by the Selecao.
"I feel really bad for getting a red card and I feel as though I made a big mistake which was unnecessary, but I had to do something in the situation," he told SAFA's website.
"I want to apologise to my teammates and the country as a whole, as I may have disappointed a lot of people. I believe I have learnt a lot from that mistake."
The defensive midfielder will subsequently miss South Africa's fixture against Denmark on Sunday 7 August, and sang his team's praises in dealing with Brazil's wave of attacks despite the numerical disadvantage.
"I also want to applaud my teammates for their courageous performance after my departure," he added. "We played really well, and they continued even during my absence.
"They did extremely well, and I just believe had it not been for my error maybe we could have attacked more instead of being defensive for the last 30 minutes. It was hard work but they pulled it off."