Bafana Bafana legend Benni McCarthy believes Hugo Broos’ men have left themselves with a mountain to climb after failing to secure a win against the Czech Republic.
The two sides shared the spoils on Thursday evening at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
It took a dramatic, late penalty from Teboho Mokoena to rescue a point for South Africa and keep their knockout stage hopes alive.
However, McCarthy maintains that this was the definitive “must-win” fixture of the group stage, warning that an upcoming clash with South Korea will present an even steeper challenge for maximum points.
“I felt there was an opportunity for South Africa to make it a little bit easier for themselves,” said McCarthy on BBC Sport.
“This was the game I would have targeted to really go for it and get a three points because when you watch how South Korea played against Czech Republic…
“If we say we have a chance against South Korea…I struggle.”
South Africa will wrap up their group stage campaign against South Korea on Thursday, 25 June.
The decisive clash is scheduled to take place at the Estadio Monterrey in Mexico, with kickoff set for 3:00 AM (SAST) in the early morning.
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