How far can passion and vuvuzela’s take South Africa?

After the opening game of the World Cup I went out and about and gauged opinion on the match. The first two people I spoke to said the same thing as soon as I mentioned the clash. South Africa were unlucky to only draw 1-1 with Mexico.

I thought they were lucky to go in level at half time but the Bafana Bafana produced far better in the second period.

Vuvuzela’s

Ever since the Confederation’s Cup the Vuvuzela’s have became world famous. The horn seems to be used to inspire the South Africa team and distract the opposition.

I’m not sure how loud they are in the stadiums but watching the games on the television they seem deafening.

The South Africa fans know that they can use these instruments to their advantage. They must distract the opposition because they distract me and I’m only watching. The South African players are accustomed to the sound though.

Passion

The passion for football in South Africa is indescribable. That passion has got the whole country involved in the big event. From the big cities to the smallest town ships everybody is behind the national team.

The World Cup has done what the rugby World Cup victory did in 1995. It’s brought people together and united people. Most neutrals watching yesterday’s opening fixture were hoping for a South African victory over the Mexicans.

It wasn’t that we had anything against the Mexicans. It was the sheer passion that the home fans showed towards their team and the tournament that lead to support for Bafana Bafana. I know I was cheering on the South African’s.

Football

In the first half against Mexico the home side looked a bit nervous and sat back. That meant that El Tri took control of the game. Luckily for South Africa they held out until half time. In the second half South Africa came out like a different team.

They started to pass the ball and attack the visitors. They have some quality players in their side capable of producing good passing football. They displayed this passing football in the superb goal that Siphiwe Tshabalala blasted past Omar Perez in the Mexican goal. If that goal would have come from Spain or Brazil then we would be lauding it for its quality.

Disappointing

One player I was disappointed with in yesterday’s game was Everton playmaker Steven Pienaar. He has been impressive in the Premier League this season and he’s is also the star of Bafana Bafana’s team. He is the player the rest of the side look to for inspiration.

He had a rather quiet game against Mexico and I’m sure there is more to come from the midfield. He has the ability, class and top flight experience to help the players around him. He just needs to give his teammates more in the next group game.

Opponents

It will be interesting to see how they approach the other group matches against France and Uruguay. Neither side were particularly impressive in their 0-0 draw last night.

The French are struggling at the moment but still can’t be underestimated even in poor form. The Uruguayans have two of the hottest strikers in Europe. Ajax’s Luis Suarez and Atletico Madrid’s Diego Forlan topped the European scoring charts last season.

However the Uruguayans are also not in great form. The fans of South Africa will be proud of their team whatever happens. I believe the hosts should go out and play their own game and not worry about their opponents.

They can’t afford another half like the first half against the Mexicans. If the second half is anything to go by the first half performance was just the team feeling slightly nervous on the big stage. The second half the team seemed more settled.

Pushovers

South Africa are now 13 games unbeaten and are no pushovers. There were concerns before the start of the tournament that they could disappoint on the big stage. I have no doubts in my mind that they will do their passionate and proud fans justice.

However I don’t think passion and Vuvuzela’s will be enough to get them through to the knockout stages. It would be a shame for the competition but the South African people will still enjoy their tournament even if their side is no longer participating.