Bafana Bafana skipper Aaron Mokoena has admitted he was devastated after brave Bafana were beaten 3-2 after extra-time by Spain in the Confederations Cup third place playoff at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Sunday.

It took a 107th free kick scored by Liverpool midfield star Xabi Alonso, to prevent 72nd ranked Bafana from notching the biggest upset in world soccer history.

The 25 000 odd fans at the Royal Bafokeng could not believe their eyes as Bafana threw caution to the wind and at times outplayed the European champions in a tough and uncompromising third place playoff.

Said Mokoena: "We are all gutted after playing so well and losing in the death from another free kick.

"But we made life difficult for a class team like Spain. We believe we could win, but again a mistake cost us what would have been an historic win."

Bafana were beaten 1-0 by Brazil in a nail biting semifinal showdown last Thursday night. Brazil retained their Confederations Cup crown with a 3-2 win over the United States in the final played at Ellis Park on Sunday night.

It took an 88th minute free kick scored by substitute Daniel Alves against Bafana for Brazil to reach the final.

While Mokoena and his teammates blamed themselves, head coach Joel Santana said he was happy with the players improvement during this two week event.

"We showed a lot of courage in this tournament and in this match against Spain. We gained incredible international experience in the Confederations Cup which has helped mold the squad on and off the field.

"I am very proud of my players overall performances in the competition.

"This is the first big step getting the team ready to be competitive at the World Cup next June. We have improved dramatically and we are getting better.

"I have a lot of friendly matches lined up before next June, the first in August that will help the players keep up this momentum."

Mokoena gave away the free kick against Brazil, while his central defensive partner Matthew Booth, was at fault for conceding the late free kick against Spain.

It was one of the few mistakes Booth has made in five tough matches during this tournament.

However, Mokoena who now joins English Premiership outfit Portsmouth on a three year deal, said despite being down after losing, there were more positives to take away from the tournament. "We have regained our dignity and pride out there on the field and won back our loyal fans.

"We showed we are no longer the pushovers of international football and we have the ability to compete and beat the top sides at the World Cup in South Africa next June.

"The biggest plus for the players was the fact we played with confidence and we have seen our self belief come back. We also showed we can score goals.

"Scoring two goals against one of the best countries in the world was no fluke and well earned."

But Mokoena admitted Bafana had to work on focusing for 90 minutes. "We know where we have gone wrong. We will sit down and analyse the tournament and the head coach (Joel Santana) and his staff will plot the road forward to the World Cup."

Mokoena said Bafana had got stronger as the tournament progressed and improved with every game. "We might have lost our last three games 2-0 to Spain (in the group phase), Brazil and now again Spain. But we have got better and better — just ask Spain how hard we made it for them."

So well marked was Spain´s dangerman Fernando Torres by Booth and Mokoena the Liverpool striker was replaced in the 52nd minute and never threatened the hard working Bafana defence.

Mokoena said the players were "dog tired" after an exhausting tournament. "We played five games in two weeks. It was tough but we coped and this experience will go a long way in helping us prepare for the bigger picture — and that is doing well at the World Cup."

Sapa

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