They were not disgraced, but Bafana Bafana were well beaten by a German team that caught alight with three goals in nine minutes after half-time for what was ultimately a comfortable 4-2 victory in Bremen, northern Germany, on Wednesday night.
After a shaky start that reflected the bitter disillusionment and disappointment of Saturday’s defeat against Burkina Faso, which ended South Africa’s hopes of qualifying for next year’s World Cup finals in Germany, Bafana performed with spirited gusto in the opening half and shared the spoils with a 1-1 score line at the interval.
But the sophistication and know-how of a revitalised Germany, with 20-year-old Lukas Podolski in the forefront, proved too much for Bafana in the second half, with the new scoring sensation completing a memorable hat-trick.
It was Podolski who opened the score in the 11th minute with a masterly, lobbed shot over the head of exposed Bafana goalkeeper Hans Vonk, with the FC Cologne striker adding further goals in the 47th and 54th minutes after Tim Borowski had regained the lead for Germany a minute after the interval.
Benni McCarthy, who came on as a second-half substitute for Shaun Bartlett, raised Bafana’s hopes momentarily by reducing Germany’s lead to 3-2 as the scoring spree continued after half-time.
But the goal with which Podolski completed his hat-trick was the fourth in nine minutes, with both defences appearing at sixes and sevens.
South Africa’s first-half equaliser emanated from a penalty by Bartlett, who took his tally as top Bafana scorer to 29 goals — and, in the process, set a monumental record as South Africa’s most capped player, with 74 international appearances.
It was a case of the calm after the storm of goals immediately after half-time, but the poise of the Germans generally kept them in control and both sides made numerous changes — with only two breathtaking saves from Vonk in the closing stages keeping the score line at a respectable level.
”It was a lesson in how to win a game,” said Bafana Bafana coach Stuart Baxter. ”We were caught cold in the second half and it showed that we have a lot of work to do to build a top team for the 2010 World Cup.”
After a 2-0 defeat to Slovakia in their last warm-up match, Germany were keen to get back to winning ways.
”We are delighted to win after the Slovakia defeat,” said Germany coach Jurgen Klinsmann. ”We have a lot of young talent in this team — such as Podolski — but need to be careful as a lot of pressure is being put on them.” — Sapa, AFP