The fat lady has sung and South Africa has been knocked out of the Africa Cup of Nations. Shakes Mashaba has gone from the man who can’t be beaten to the man who can’t beat anybody. Bafana Bafana needed to beat Ghana in their final group game on Tuesday night and then hope for results elsewhere to go their way. While the latter happened, the first was a bridge too far. They came up second best against a Black Stars team who, for the largest part of the match, nonetheless looked completely apathetic.

It took Ghana just half an hour to get the better of South Africa. Bafana started well and, once again, took an early lead. Once again, though, they threw that lead away. They leave the tournament without a single win and far too many “if onlys”. If only Rantie had scored that penalty in the first match against Algeria. If only Thulani Hlatshwayo had not scored an own goal. If only Darren Keet didn’t err. If only they didn’t draw against Senegal. If only Shakes Mashaba had worn Senzo Meyiwa’s dad’s shirt.

Overall, it’s been a good experience for the rookie players, though, and there will be plenty of lessons to take from this outing. We’ve picked five.

Shakes is stubborn

Okay, so we might have known this one already, but it has become quite evident that Shakes Mashaba likes to do things his way. This is not entirely a bad thing. His current mandate is to build a squad for the next World Cup in 2019 and to do that, he needs to take risks. Whether taking risks at a tournament is the right thing to do is debatable. He has made some odd selection decisions (three different goalkeepers in three games being the most puzzling), but at least Mashaba isn’t afraid to try new things. Because you know what they say about trying the same thing over and over and expecting different results. The only instance where this doesn’t count is when it comes to Tokelo Rantie, but more on that later.

South Africa doesn’t have a clue how to slow the game down

While much of the focus has been on the lack of goals from South Africa, the lack of defending has also been an issue. In all three group matches, South Africa threw away a lead. They have simply been incapable of slowing the game down and controlling it from the midfield. Whether they simply get flustered too easily or whether it’s a case of inexperience isn’t clear. They have failed to assert themselves in the second half of all three of their matches and completely wasted good positions against some of the best teams in Africa. From that aspect, this campaign has been a disaster and a massive disappointment.

The goalkeeper spot is completely up in the air

Three games and three different keepers suggest that Mashaba doesn’t have a clue what to do with the position between the posts. Following the tragic passing of Senzo Meyiwa, Mashaba opted not to go for the experienced Itumeleng Khune, but instead of picking a player and sticking to him, Mashaba went for a round robin of sorts. Sure, Darren Keet erred in his first match, but conceding three goals against the best team in Africa, one of which was an own goal which he could do little about, is hardly a disaster. If South Africa is going to use this as a base to build from, Mashaba needs to be more consistent in his selections.

Tokelo Rantie needs some TLC

Tokelo Rantie has a certain pizzazz about him. He’s crafty, cunning and always manages to wrangle his way into good areas. When it comes to finishing, though, he just plain…sucks. Rantie’s not had the easiest of careers and he’s faced his share of personal problems, including a mother struggling with illness. All this has certainly made things tough for the youngster. He clearly possesses the talent, but just needs to be given a little bit of TLC to make the most of what he’s got. Currently playing for Bournemouth in the UK, after becoming the club’s record signing a few years ago, Rantie has somewhat fallen out of favour owing to his poor form. A loan spell at a lower league club where he might be a regular starter would do his confidence the world of good. He struggled in South Africa’s final group match against Ghana, and Mashaba persisted with him. That might be the coach’s fatherly instinct kicking in – or maybe Rantie has some compromising photos of the boss at the back of his cupboard? Either way, Rantie deserves a more solid foundation.

South Africa isn’t as useless as some of the results might suggest

On paper, South Africa’s results look terrible. However, it’s not all doom and gloom. The signs are there that the team is starting to build something a bit more substantial. For one, Thuso Phala and Bongani Ndulula have built some chemistry with their in-box crossing. Sibusiso Vilakazi continues to show promise and while they still lack a creative midfielder (cough, Thulani Serero, cough), they are creating chances, just not finishing them. All in all, although it is a failed campaign, at least they didn’t completely embarrass themselves. DM

Photo: Mandla Masango of South Africa celebrates after scoring against Ghana during their Group C soccer match of the 2015 African Cup of Nations in Mongomo January 27, 2015. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings