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At half-time in this Group A encounter, the unthinkable was on the horizon. South Africa were beating France, Mexico were losing to the impre sive Uruguay; only the virtue of two goals left the Bafana Bafana on the brink of qualification but it was not to be. Carlos Parreiras side became the first ever host nation toexit at the group stage despite a performance full of spirit and endeavour, although they may well be reflecting on countle s opportunities to win the game by a larger margin.The rumours that some of Frances biggest stars would boycott the match failed to materialise following the full-fledged and extremely public Weston McKennie Jersey squad division, although captain Patrice Evra was dropped to the bench. Parreira surprisinglynamed Khuboni ahead of Teko Modise, with Khune and Dikgacoi mi sing out through suspension.The hosts began at quite a tempo, providing free-flowing football at its best; something previously unseen from South Africa. Tshabalala and Pienaar dominated the po se sion from either flank, with Mphela mi sing the target with a skewed shot just five minutes in. The fanatical home support were sensing a goal and it only took twenty minutes to arrive. A Tshabalala corner was completely flapped at by Hugo Lloris leaving Bongani Khumalo to open the scoring, albeit off of his shoulder. Unlike their previous goal against the Mexicans, there was no extravagant celebration; South Africa were intent on scoring more.Khumalo celebrates opening the scoring Just six minutes later, Frances farcial World Cup took a further turn for the worse. A Franck Ribery corner was only headed upwards by Macbeth Sibaya, and as the lanky centre-back went to clear the ball, Yohann Gourcuff clashed whilst challenging. The referee showed no hesitation in sending off the young French midfielder, although replays provided conclusive evidence that his dismi sal was harsh to say the least.Yohann Gourcuff was harshly dismi sed in the first halfBut with the Mexico-Uruguay encounter still 0-0, any South African victory would be pointle s. And even if there was a victor, the hosts would have to score more to be in contention. Katlego Mphela started this inspiration just ten minutes before half-time, after bundling home a cro s-cum-shot from Khumalo despite the best efforts of Gael Clichy. With news filtering through that Luis Suarez had given Uruguay the lead, many thought that South Africa were destined for the last sixteen.France shouldnt have been taken lightly however, with sporadic attacks showing a glimpse of their previous abilities. Riberys in-swinging free-kick managed to evade all defensive cover, requiring Josephs to make a smart reflex save, before Diarra saw a long-range effort fly wide.After half-time, the hosts saw a number of chances to decrease the gap in goal difference go by to no avail. Tshabalala Chivas De Guadalajara Jersey s glorious through-ball sent Mphela away, but his dink clipped the outside of the post. Bernard Parker saw a header evade the far post, before Mphela had a stinging dive tipped expertly away from goal. It seemed inevitable that South Africa would increase their lead, but their attacking style left gaping holes in defence something that France seized upon. Bacary Sagnas delightful pa s found the reborn Ribery, who beat Masilela for pace before squaring to Malouda to tap into an empty net. Bloemfontein, and all of its vuvuzelas, were completely silenced.Malouda may have pulled one back, but it wasnt enough to prevent his side from exiting at the Group StageSouth Africa still had further chances to increase their lead, but found Lloris at his very best. Tshabalala had a close-range effort parried to safety, whilst cult-hero Siyabonga Nomvete blazed high and wide. At the full-time whistle it was clear to see the despair on the faces of many South African fans, although they can be proud of their nations spirited displays finally showing that they can compete with the best.