Football supporters gathered at Montecasino to watch Bafana Bafana take on Mexico in their opening Fifa World Cup match.

Among the crowd were friends Senzo Shozi and Siyabonga Mtshali, who arrived well before kick-off, proudly wearing South African colours and confident that Hugo Broos’ men would make the country proud.

Before the match, Shozi said he was looking forward to seeing Bafana Bafana rise to the occasion on football’s biggest stage. Like many South Africans, he believed the team had shown enough quality in recent years to challenge one of the tournament hosts.

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His friend, Mtshali, was even more confident. “There is no way Bafana Bafana is not going to win. We are bringing it home.”

Their optimism, however, was tested almost immediately. Mexico took the lead inside the opening minutes when Julian Quiñones capitalised on a defensive mistake by South African midfielder Sphephelo ‘Yaya’ Sithole to score the first goal of the match, putting South Africa on the back foot early.

As the game progressed, supporters at Montecasino watched nervously as Bafana Bafana struggled to find a breakthrough. Despite moments of promising gameplay, Mexico continued to create chances and looked dangerous whenever they attacked.

The second half brought fresh challenges for South Africa when Sithole received a red card after bringing down a Mexican attacker and denying a clear goalscoring opportunity.

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With Bafana reduced to 10 men, the task became even more difficult. Mexico eventually doubled their lead through veteran striker Raúl Jiménez, whose header gave the hosts breathing room and left supporters at Montecasino searching for hope.

Things went from bad to worse when Themba Zwane was also sent off late in the match following a video assistant referee review, forcing Bafana Bafana to finish the game with nine players.

Despite the setback, Shozi and Mtshaki refused to be overly critical of the national team. They agreed that Bafana showed determination, particularly after halftime, and continued fighting even when the odds were stacked against them.

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“The boys never gave up,” said Mtshali after the final whistle. “It was hard to watch, but they tried.”

“They came back stronger in the second half and tried their best. Sometimes football doesn’t go your way.”

Ndileka Nombula, who came to watch the game with her sisters Zondi and Lungi, expressed disappointment that attacking midfielder Relebohile Mofokeng and other key players were on the benches instead of the pitch.

“We know very well that Mofokeng is a fighter on the pitch. They should’ve given him a chance to play, perhaps we would’ve got one point at least.”

While the 2–0 defeat was not the result they had envisioned, the supporters said they remain proud of Bafana Bafana, and believe the team can bounce back in the remaining group-stage matches.

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