SANTANDER – “We spoke about it afterwards, they are all problems we can solve and if we just get those right, then there will be a massive improvement going forward,” Drummond said after scoring SA’s second goal against world No 10 India.

“But there were lessons learnt this evening and we’ve just got to correct them pretty soon because we’ve got a tough game coming up against Spain.”

India capitalised on South African errors throughout the game, turning possession over and hitting South Africa on the counter attack in typical Indian fashion.

Trailing 5-1 with a half-an-hour to play, Drummond and his team looked to be out of the contest, but a brave comeback – led by the Durban-based midfielder himself – saw South Africa score four goals in the second half to come close to catching  the Indians.

“We are a side that never give up.

We played right to the last minute and I was just lucky to be in the right place at the right time,” Drummond said of his goal.

“We had been playing well throughout the whole game, it was just silly errors that got us into the position to be 5-1 down.

“I think the fightback was always there, we just had to get the momentum and get it going.”
Drummond said there was a lot to look at after the game, but added that South Africa had to be sharp in defence, as India showed clinical touches on the counter attack.

“They  are an extremely dangerous side going forward, so if we can be on top of our game defensively against them in the second game, there will be a massive improvement.

“You attack as a team, you defend as a team, so I think the errors were actually made quite high up on the field, myself included.

So we have to cut that out and then defend as a unit.”