South Africa’s Siphiwe Tshabalala celebrates after scoring the opening goal during their 2010 Fifa World Cup Group A match against Mexico at Soccer City in June 2010.
Image: BackpagePix
Nine South Africans have scored a total of 11 goals at the Fifa World Cup since Bafana Bafana's debut in 1998.
Shaun Bartlett and Benni McCarthy are the top goalscorers for the nation at the showpiece event, with two apiece.
With Bafana Bafana set to play their first tournament in 16 years in three weeks' time, opening against Mexico in Mexico City, we relive the goals scored by South Africans.
McCarthy headed into the World Cup in France as the joint top goalscorer — alongside Egypt's Hossam Hassan — of the 1998 Africa Cup of Nations, so there would have been a measure of pressure and anticipation on the then 20-year-old to keep his scoring boots fastened tightly to his feet.
SA failed to score in their first match at the World Cup, suffering a 3-0 loss to the hosts.
Bafana scored their first-ever goal at the showpiece event a week later, with McCarthy stepping up to slot the nation’s first. Down 1-0 to Denmark, some smart dribbling by John "Shoes" Moshoeu unlocked the Danes' defence, with the ball falling into McCarthy's path.
It wasn't the cleanest of strikes, but he did enough to beat goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, nutmegging the legendary shot-stopper as the shot found the back of the net.
Bafana faced a must-win scenario against Saudi Arabia in their final group game of the tournament if they wished to progress to the next stage of the competition.
Bartlett opened the scoring in the match in the 18th minute. It was a fantastic finish, as Bartlett collected the pass with an open field before him. He coolly slotted the ball in, beating Mohamed Al-Deayea at the near post. Bartlett completed his brace — the only South African to do so — from the penalty spot in the 93rd minute after a foul on Jerry Sikhosana.
Unfortunately, it was not enough for Bafana as the match ended in a 2-2 draw.
Down 2-0 by the 55th minute, Bafana seemed doomed to lose their opening game of the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan. They needed a bit of luck and some poor play from Los Guaraníes to get them back in the game, and received both through the "original" Teboho Mokoena’s strike.
A poor clearance from Paraguay saw possession fall into the path of the midfielder, who put his foot through the ball with more hope than accuracy from just outside the box. It wasn’t necessarily the most powerful shot as it skidded across the pitch, only to be deflected into the net by Estanislao Struway past a wrong-footed goalkeeper, but it was wholly welcomed by South Africa.
While Bafana’s first goal had a hefty amount of fortune, their second against Paraguay was all due to the thoughtless actions of their goalkeeper Ricardo Tavarelli.
Sibusiso Zuma found himself in acres of space with the Paraguay defence scrambling to close down the threat, but Tavarelli took it upon himself to lunge into the striker on the edge of the touchline in the penalty area. Bafana had only one player in the box, with five Paraguayans in front of him, so Tavarelli’s stupidity — which earned him a yellow card as well — cost his side the victory.
Fortune emphatically smashed in the resulting penalty in the 91st minute to secure a dramatic 2-2 draw.
The second match of Bafana’s 2002 campaign secured a rare win over European opposition.
Nomvethe’s fourth-minute effort was not the most aesthetically pleasing goal, but it was effective enough to ensure victory. The striker contorted himself to head a superbly placed free-kick into the back of the net, bending himself in half to reach the ball and knocking it past keeper Marko Simeunovič.
Bafana needed only a draw in their third and final group game of the 2002 edition against La Roja to progress to the next phase of the tournament.
After some nifty play by the South Africans from the touchline, an outstretched McCarthy latched onto a looping header in front of goal, beating the desperate attempt of Iker Casillas to toe the ball into the net in the 31st minute. It helped Bafana equalise after the Spaniards had taken a fourth-minute lead earlier due to a mistake from goalkeeper Andre Arendse.
Spain once again took the lead through Gaizka Mendieta in injury time of the first half, after both sides had entertained with exciting football. Now trailing 2-1, captain Lucas Radebe slotted in one of his two career international goals for SA in the 53rd minute.
Unmarked from a corner, "Rhoo" was the happy recipient of a poor clearance from the Spanish front line, the ball landing in his path for him to head the ball into the net at the far post. Radebe and Co's joy lasted all of three minutes after Raúl scored his brace to seal a 3-2 win, effectively knocking South Africa out of the tournament.
Arguably Bafana’s most famous goal at the tournament, Tshabalala’s effort was an absolute screamer. It was a well-constructed goal, too, the team playing some pleasing football before Tshabalala latched onto a perfectly weighted through-ball.
Tshabalala took one touch to bring the ball under control and push forward before lacing his attempt with precision and power to open the scoring of the 2010 World Cup here in SA in the 55th minute. The moment was magic, the celebration iconic, and the result — ultimately — a disappointing 1-1 draw.
A disastrous 3-0 loss to Uruguay in SA’s second group game set the stage for arguably Bafana’s greatest win at the World Cup. Bafana needed Uruguay and Mexico to not draw their game to hope for progression, and they also needed to beat Les Bleus.
A Tshabalala corner was well received by a flying Khumalo, who rose above a weak defensive effort from the French at the far post to head the ball into an open net. The 20th-minute effort set Bafana on their path to victory.
The French team coached by Raymond Domenech was one of unrest and player mutiny, and it perhaps showed its farcical standards in Bafana’s second goal in the City of Roses. It was comical defending by the 1998 champions that saw Mphela tap in from two metres out.
France failed to close down the left-wing play of Bafana, who rumbled up-field. To be fair, it was a weak cross into the 18-yard box by Bafana, but an equally weak clearance from Abou Diaby, who shanked the ball towards goal, only for it to be collected by the hard-working Tsepo Masilela, who offered the assist.
Mphela scored after the French once again fumbled in their defence, with Gaël Clichy getting in a tangle, playing the ball away from keeper Hugo Lloris and onto the feet of the shadowing Bafana striker.
Despite winning 2-1 against a very poor France team, it was not enough for Bafana to escape the group stages after Uruguay beat Mexico 1-0 in Rustenburg.