Hugo Broos' surprise formation switch

South Africa opted to use a 3-5-2 formation instead of their conventional 4-3-3 strategy, as Hugo Broos looked to solidify his line-up with more defensive options.

However, Bafana could not adapt quickly to the new formation and fell behind very early in the match while struggling to threaten the Mexican goalkeeper in the first half.

Perhaps the Belgian coach got it wrong by experimenting at the global showpiece and unfortunately paid the price.

Lack of attacking options

Bafana Bafana's line-up lacked creativity to supply forwards Lyle Foster and Iqraam Rayners with good chances with attacking midfielder's sitting on the bench.

Broos will have no option but to utilize the likes of Relebohile Mofokeng, Oswin Appollis and Thapelo Maseko more in the upcoming games as they look to claim wins to progress to the next round.

South Africa have to score in the next game if they want to stand a chance to get out of Group A, and this means using all attacking options available for the next match.

Ronwen Williams errors

South Africa's captain Ronwen Williams was partially responsible for the opening goal as his pass induced a mistake from Sphephelo Sithole following a tight press from the Mexicans.

His general footwork leading up to the goal was also not up to scratch and led to the hosts piling more pressure in the Bafana Bafana half.

The manner in which the opening goal went through his legs from a long-distance strike also left a lot to be desired.

Mzansi's number one will have to pull up his socks and switch on from the onset if his side is to manage progression to the knockout rounds.

Red cards, ill-discipline or not?

The African nation received two straight red cards to Sphephelo Sithole and substitute Themba Zwane in the second half to further hamper the teams hopes of drawing level or scoring a goal during the match.

With Sithole's red card, it was fully deserved and can be attributed to his general sloppiness and slow reaction during the match which led to him playing catch up and fouling the goal bound attacker from behind.

The second red card to Mamelodi Sundowns star Themba Zwane is a little contentious to the naked eye at first, but upon seeing the replays, it is clear that Mshishi did strike the opposition player and thus, also deserved to be sent off.

South Africa will have to work on their discipline if they want better results in the tournament.

Bafana Bafana's fragile mentality exposed

Bafana did not look as confident as we have known them to be under Belgian mentor Hugo Broos and seemed to be hesitant and unwilling to push the Mexican side defensively for large parts of the match.

The response to the opening goal was a painful one to watch, as it looked more likely that the hosts would score a second goal instead of a Bafana equalizer bar a speculative long-range effort from Mbekezeli Mbokazi.

A more daring approach from the players will be necessary in the upcoming matches.

Stanley Nwabali has high praise for Mamelodi Sundowns skipper Ronwen Williams