Andrew Muchineripi in Copenhagen
Top-class international football is chess on grass, a battle of brains as much as brawn with a credo that stresses the importance of making no mistakes while forcing your opponent into them.
South Africa set out this week to end a 13- match winless streak outside Africa that has seen some unlucky defeats, several narrow defeats and a couple of heavy defeats.
A central thread from Los Angeles six years ago to Toulouse last June was that Bafana Bafana blunders were often severely punished while they were unable to capitalise on the follies of opponents.
While there is no comparison between the team humiliated 4-0 by Mexico on the west coast of the United States and the one that drew 1-1 with Denmark at the Idraetsparken on Wednesday night, the thread continues.
Ebbe Sand would probably have found scoring much more difficult in the closing stages of the first half had midfielder Quinton Fortune followed him into the penalty area.
That old South African failing of ball- watching was evident once again and Sand, instead of being put under pressure as the ball floated invitingly into the heart of the box, had a free header and the Danes were ahead.
In an age when some experts set out to confuse humble creatures like me with virtually incomprehensible footballspeak such as “drifting into a channel” (running into space), it is often best to remember the basics we learnt at school.
Surely it makes sense to retreat if an unmarked Dane advances. Fortune did not and Sand demonstrated the killer instinct that has reaped three goals in his last three international appearances.
This humble member of the Muchineripi clan – on the road for the first time with Bafana Bafana – felt a chill run down his spine at half-time and it was not the decreasing temperature in friendly, spotlessly clean Copenhagen.
I travel nowhere (except to the bathroom occasionally) without my beloved book of Bafana Bafana statistics, and imagine my horror upon reaching a section devoted to results beyond our mother continent.
Bafana Bafana had fallen behind to first-half goals in 10 of 13 matches and avoided defeat only twice – the 2-2 Confederations Cup draw with the Czech Republic in Saudi Arabia and the 1-1 World Cup draw with Denmark in France.
Depressing thoughts invaded my mind. Damn it! Why must I travel all this way just to chronicle another sad episode in the seemingly endless battle to put one over on these cruel Europeans.
Shifting through the first-half evidence offered little encouragement. Bafana Bafana had just one chance, a Philemon Masinga header that Peter Schmeichel held at the second attempt following a well-planned free kick by Fortune.
Otherwise, it was the usual script of South Africa constantly under pressure when they did not have the ball and losing it all too quickly when they did. Then there was Mark Fish.
Some day I must sit down with young Fish and have a long chat. I have many questions requiring thorough answers. For example, what possesses him to back heel the ball when under pressure inside his own penalty area.
It certainly did not help my blood pressure and the gods were obviously wearing black, white, green and gold as the Danes pounced on the loose ball only to fire wide.
Please, Mark, remember what they must have told you a thousand times on the playing fields of Pretoria High School: when in doubt aim for row 67, or 87 if you can get the ball that far.
Most first-half danger came from the left flank and this was no coincidence as Fish seemed reluctant to abandon his central defensive stomping ground and operate as an orthodox right-back in a 4-4-2 system.
The result was midfielder Helman Mkhalele had to constantly retreat, and with the best will in the world I cannot label the Midnight Express a great defender. His passion is running at opponents, not trying to steal the ball off them.
On a brighter note I was impressed by the Rasta man, Thabo Mngomeni, even if many of his simple, accurate passes went back rather than forward. This was his first test against European opposition and I believe he passed.
So to the second half and after the impressive Hans Vonk made a good save to prevent Sand putting the match beyond reach, Bafana Bafana gained from the introduction of “Shoes” Moshoeu in place of a disappointing Fortune.
Shoes, making a record 53rd appearance for the national team, provided a glimmer of hope by running at the Danes and, after shooting narrowly wide, levelled with 18 minutes left with dusk descending over the Danish capital.
Those who believe Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel is more than a mere mortal must have greeted the goal with mixed feelings – joy at South Africa equalising and sadness at the realisation that the Great One is just another fallible human. Benni McCarthy put the ball between his legs at the World Cup and this time he stood statuesque as Shoes drove the ball low to his right and into the net. Few Bafana Bafana goals have been sweeter.
How appropriate that history-making Moshoeu should end a goal drought dating back to the 1996 Simba Four Nations Cup in South Africa on the night when he moved above Neil Tovey in national appearances.
Another substitute, Cyprus-based Macdonald Mukansi, could have written his own page in Bafana Bafana history when he raced clear only to be thwarted by Schmeichel when he tried to round him.
It is easy to say he should have blasted the ball instead of trying to win the goal-of- the-week competition. It was only his second cap. He has the pace of Ezekiel Sepeng. With time he will, hopefully, add a killer instinct.
A match billed “Unfinished Business” ended with unfinished business. Let us invite Denmark to our beloved land, let us pay homage to Peter the Great before he vacates the international stage, and let us give the Danes a good pasting.