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Cape Town - Sport24's, Wade Pretorius, rates the performances of the national side as they went down 2-1 to Ghana.
Bafana Bafana were eliminated from AFCON 2015 on Tuesday, ultimately paying the price for far too many defensive errors throughout their campaign.
"The Group of Death" proved to be an apt description as the South African national side failed to hold onto promising starts in all three of their Group C fixtures.
Mandla Masango's wonder strike handed Bafana Bafana the lead against Ghana, just as they led against Algeria and Senegal, before sustained pressure from the Black Stars ultimately paid off and sent the Ghanians into the last 8 while Bafana Bafana ended their tournament with just one point to show for their efforts.
Goalkeeping rotation, wasteful strikers, clumsy defence and the lack of playmaker all counted against South Africa in Equatorial Guinea.
Player Ratings: Bafana Bafana
1. Brilliant Khuzwayo - 6
Started off shakily but grew in confidence as the match wore on. He many a number of key saves, most notably from Kwesi Appiah's late strike. Defence left him exposed on numerous occasions.
2. Anele Ngcongca - 6
Worked hard all night but the cross for Ghana's winner came from his flank. Still South Africa's best option at right back.
3. Thabo Matlaba - 4.5
Ghana's wingers got the better of him on several occasions and he gave up possession consistently. Had two wild attempts "on goal" which troubled the crowd more than the goalkeeper.
4. Rivaldo Coetzee - 5
Not his best evening as he struggled to deal with wave after wave of attack. Was nowhere to be seen for Ghana's winner.
5. Eric Mathoho - 6
South Africa's best defender on the night was kept busy throughout the encounter and made an early clearance to deny Ghana a 6th minute lead.
6. Andile Jali - 5
Overrun by the forceful Ghana midfield and struggled to do his job of breaking down the Black Stars attack but never gave up.
7. Mandla Masango - 6
Scored South Africa's goal, with a superbly taken volley, but was hardly seen on attack after that moment.
8. Dean Furman - 6
Another Furman-like performance, busy all night trying to get Bafana Bafana on the ball as much as possible. Booked for dissent towards the end of the match.
9. Thuso Phala - 5
Very good in the first half with two excellent crosses but was played out of the game as the match wore on. Needs to work much harder on his defensive responsibilities.
10. Tokelo Rantie - 3.5
Popped in and out the game and never really affected this fixture at all. That being said, it's difficult for a striker to be involved when the ball never reaches him.
11. Bongani Ndulula - 5
Introduced into the side as the target man, "Drogba" was well marshalled by the strong Ghanian defence. Had a strong header saved on the line.
Reserves:
12. Bernard Parker - Not enough time to earn a rating
One can only wonder why Parker was not given more than six or so minutes to try change the course of the match.
13. Reneilwe Letsholonyane - 3
Provided zero impact off the bench.
14. Sibusiso Vilakazi - 5
Given 30 minutes to make an impact, Vilakazi tried his best despite the shift in match momentum towards Ghana.
*Follow our soccer journalist, Wade Pretorius, on Twitter: @wadepretorius
Bafana Bafana were eliminated from AFCON 2015 on Tuesday, ultimately paying the price for far too many defensive errors throughout their campaign.
"The Group of Death" proved to be an apt description as the South African national side failed to hold onto promising starts in all three of their Group C fixtures.
Mandla Masango's wonder strike handed Bafana Bafana the lead against Ghana, just as they led against Algeria and Senegal, before sustained pressure from the Black Stars ultimately paid off and sent the Ghanians into the last 8 while Bafana Bafana ended their tournament with just one point to show for their efforts.
Goalkeeping rotation, wasteful strikers, clumsy defence and the lack of playmaker all counted against South Africa in Equatorial Guinea.
Player Ratings: Bafana Bafana
1. Brilliant Khuzwayo - 6
Started off shakily but grew in confidence as the match wore on. He many a number of key saves, most notably from Kwesi Appiah's late strike. Defence left him exposed on numerous occasions.
2. Anele Ngcongca - 6
Worked hard all night but the cross for Ghana's winner came from his flank. Still South Africa's best option at right back.
3. Thabo Matlaba - 4.5
Ghana's wingers got the better of him on several occasions and he gave up possession consistently. Had two wild attempts "on goal" which troubled the crowd more than the goalkeeper.
4. Rivaldo Coetzee - 5
Not his best evening as he struggled to deal with wave after wave of attack. Was nowhere to be seen for Ghana's winner.
5. Eric Mathoho - 6
South Africa's best defender on the night was kept busy throughout the encounter and made an early clearance to deny Ghana a 6th minute lead.
6. Andile Jali - 5
Overrun by the forceful Ghana midfield and struggled to do his job of breaking down the Black Stars attack but never gave up.
7. Mandla Masango - 6
Scored South Africa's goal, with a superbly taken volley, but was hardly seen on attack after that moment.
8. Dean Furman - 6
Another Furman-like performance, busy all night trying to get Bafana Bafana on the ball as much as possible. Booked for dissent towards the end of the match.
9. Thuso Phala - 5
Very good in the first half with two excellent crosses but was played out of the game as the match wore on. Needs to work much harder on his defensive responsibilities.
10. Tokelo Rantie - 3.5
Popped in and out the game and never really affected this fixture at all. That being said, it's difficult for a striker to be involved when the ball never reaches him.
11. Bongani Ndulula - 5
Introduced into the side as the target man, "Drogba" was well marshalled by the strong Ghanian defence. Had a strong header saved on the line.
Reserves:
12. Bernard Parker - Not enough time to earn a rating
One can only wonder why Parker was not given more than six or so minutes to try change the course of the match.
13. Reneilwe Letsholonyane - 3
Provided zero impact off the bench.
14. Sibusiso Vilakazi - 5
Given 30 minutes to make an impact, Vilakazi tried his best despite the shift in match momentum towards Ghana.
*Follow our soccer journalist, Wade Pretorius, on Twitter: @wadepretorius
