Bafana Bafana captain Ronwen Williams addressing the media upon the team's arrival back home at OR Tambo International Airport on Thursday.
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Captain Ronwen Williams admits Bafana Bafana are still hurting after conceding a brutal injury-time goal against Canada — a strike that ultimately eliminated them from the Fifa World Cup in the Round of 32.
Bafana had put in an immense defensive shift to keep the tournament co-hosts goalless, only for Stephen Eustáquio to drill home the winning goal past Williams in the 92nd minute. It was the first time Bafana had reached the knockout stages in their Fifa World Cup history.
“It's obviously very disappointing to concede so late in the game," Williams said upon the team’s arrival back home at O.R. Tambo International Airport on Thursday morning.
"That's a critical phase, and that's when you need to focus even more. It always hurts more to concede when there are obviously just two minutes to go. But you could see the guys were exhausted. You could see there were a lot of heavy legs out there.
"It was like a sucker punch. It came at a time where we didn't have enough left in the tank to try and get the goal back and chase the game. There simply wasn't enough time left to launch a comeback."
The shot-stopper emphasized that the tournament provided an invaluable learning curve for Hugo Broos' evolving squad.
"Like the coaches mentioned, there are a lot of lessons we'll take from this tournament," Williams added. "I think almost all the goals we conceded were in critical phases—either at the very beginning of the match or right towards the end.
"Those are the windows where you really need to be locked in and focused. That is the ultimate lesson we'll take home, and it’s one that will undoubtedly help us going into the future."
Bafana Bafana were not the only African side to be left plagued by "what-ifs" during a weekend of late, dramatic heartbreaks in the Round of 32 after Ivory Coast fell 2-1 to Norway, courtesy of an 86th-minute winner from Erling Haaland.
Democratic Republic of Congo suffered an identical fate, putting up a gallant fight against England before Harry Kane struck late to seal a 2-1 win.
Senegal also looked destined for the next round before Belgium scored two goals in the final five minutes to force extra time, where Youri Tielemans broke Teranga Lion hearts with a last-ditch winner.
Only Morocco have thus far managed to navigate the first knockout round, advancing to the Round of 16 following a dramatic penalty shootout victory over the Netherlands.