PUSAN, South Korea -- A last-minute penalty capped a quite remarkable comeback for South Africa, giving it a 2-2 draw against Paraguay after it had been outplayed and out-thought for long periods of its Group B match on Sunday.
Quinton Fortune's driven ball past Ricardo Tavarelli, who had brought down Sibusiso Zima for the spot kick, was enough to earn South Africa a share of the points - and left Paraguay's players and fans alike stunned after they had given the Africans few chances for large periods of the game.
"We are a young team and we knew Paraguay would tire. We pressured and pressured and pressured," said South African coach Jomo Sono. "If we had lost our confidence would have been dented. We came from 2-0 down and now we're on a high."