Oliseh argued that Broos and his men suffered a defeat at the hands of the Mexicans because the “stage seems to be simply too big for them.”
By Kehinde Okeowo
Former Super Eagles head coach and midfielder Sunday Oliseh has blamed the 2-0 defeat suffered by South Africa at the hands of Mexico in the ongoing 2026 World Cup opener on ‘pure pressure’.
He made this known recently while analysing the somewhat chaotic encounter on the latest edition of his podcast.
Mexico emerged victorious in the tournament’s opener courtesy of a goal in each half of the game from Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez.
The match was equally dramatic, as Bafana Bafana were reduced to nine men, while their North American opponents also received a marching order from the referee in additional time.
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Speaking on the encounter, Oliseh insisted that South Africa’s defeat was not born out of superior tactics employed by the World Cup hosts.
The ex-Ajax midfielder argued that Broos’ men were not poor but lost because the “stage seems to be simply too big for them.”
He said, “Finally, the World Cup is here. 80,000 fans at the Azteca, a beautiful opening ceremony and we all expected a romantic replay of 2010 in South Africa.”
Oliseh added, “But what we actually just witnessed was absolute psychological warfare.
“Mexico won 2-0, but this wasn’t about tactics. It was about pure pressure. South Africa didn’t lose because they are a poor side. Believe me. They lost because the stage seems to be simply too big for them.”
