Bafana Bafana head coach Hugo Broos said on Thursday that the equation had not changed much for his side despite their 2-0 loss to Mexico, and South Africa could still make it out of Group A.
Goals from Julián Quiñones in the ninth minute and Raul Jiménez in the 67th handed Javier Aguirre's side a comfortable win. South Africa saw Sphephelo 'Yaya' Sithole sent off in the 50th minute and Themba Zwane in the 84th, while Mexico's César Montes was given his marching orders in second half stoppage time.
"In a tournament, you can't think too far ahead because anything can happen. For us, the objective was the same as it was a week ago: to survive the group stage. That is still possible," Broos told the media after the defeat at Estadio Azteca.
"The start was not good and it wasn't what we expected. We didn't want to lose, but it is what it is. Now we have to try to get points from the next two games and then we'll see where we stand."
Bafana Bafana will face Czechia on Thursday, June 18, in Atlanta. Their final group stage game will be against South Korea in Guadalupe on June 24, with kick-off time at 3 a.m. the following day for those watching from South Africa.
South Korea beat Czechia 2-1 in Thursday's other Group A game. The top two sides will automatically advance, while the third-placed team will stand a chance of progressing to the round of 32 as one of the eight best third-placed sides across 12 groups.
South Africa have never made the knockout rounds of a FIFA World Cup, but this is the first expanded tournament to feature a round of 32.
Broos tinkered with his usual formation for the opening game of the World Cup, using three centre-backs rather than two and packing the midfield with Sithole, Jayden Adams and Teboho Mokoena.
The 74-year-old started both Iqraam Rayners and Lyle Foster upfront and left star winger Oswin Appollis and attacking midfielder/winger Relebohile Mofokeng on the bench. Appollis was a late substitute, while Mofokeng was unused.
There was always a risk that these selections would sacrifice some degree of attacking impetus, and Broos was left unhappy with the offensive performance which saw South Africa have 39% of the possession and an xG of 0.08, as per Flashscore.
"I don't think there was a drop in the standard of my players. It's just that this level is much higher than the level we usually play at. We were up against a very good team today. We played against a strong Mexico side and, at times, I saw a desperate Mexico that didn't know what to do with the ball. Our defensive organisation was perfect," Broos said.
"Offensively, though, we need to improve. We had opportunities, but the final pass wasn't good enough and our runs weren't always the right ones. That's something we have to work on over the next few days. I'm sure we can play the same type of game, be better offensively, and get a better result as well."
Ed Dove contributed to this report.