Durban - Coach Carlos Alberto Parreira thinks Bafana Bafana's goalless draw in an international friendly against North Korea was a fair result.
"We could have scored at least two goals in the first half. The second half was equal - they took control for about 20 minutes and the last 15 minutes we dominated after the changes we made. I think zero zero was a fair result for both teams," Parreira said.
The 2010 FIFA World Cup hosts recorded their second successive draw on Thursday following their goalless draw against Paraguay in Asuncion last month.
Bafana Bafana failed to capitalise on a few good scoring opportunities in the first at the SV Wehen Wiesbaden Stadium near Frankfurt, Germany.
The first real chance came from a Surprise Moriri's header, which was just a fraction wide in the 18th minute.
In the 25th minute striker Katlego Mphela was also in a good position but his weak shot fell into the hands of Ri Myong Guk, the North Korean goalkeeper.
Two minutes later Mphela turned a defender inside out, and facing the keeper he shot wide.
"We have been working hard at training since our Brazil camp and this was our first match. The good result would have been a win but I am happy with the players' performance in the first half.
"We faced a team that has qualified for the World Cup. Our opponents have a typical way of playing - very quick and physical, all the speed is there but we controlled them and did not give them space," Parreira said.
In the second Bafana Bafana took the foot off the pedal and allowed their opponents to attack them in a spell that lasted about 20 minutes, but managed to hold on without conceding a goal.
South Africa had to make a forced substitution when midfielder Lance Davids left the field following a clash with an opponent and was replaced by Reneilwe Letsholonyane.
The match also saw the return of Siyabonga Nomvete into the Bafana Bafana colours after an almost two year absence, he had replaced Moriri.
Other substitutions came in the form of Andile Jali for Thabo Nthethe, and Innocent Mdledle for Lucas Thwala.
Parreira said playing North Korea was different compared to the other matches Bafana Bafana played recently.
"They defended very well with their three centre backs and it was difficult to penetrate them. I have noticed that nobody scores them more than two goals. Compared to the matches in Brazil, was a different match altogether, we were playing against a World Cup team and the game was tougher," he said.
The 67-year-old World Cup-winning coach said he was also happy that his charges sustained the pressure imposed by the North Koreans.
"We need more of these games to get into shape physically and technically. Also I was impressed that we could cope with the high pace of the game.
"The Asian teams all have one thing common, they keep a high tempo throughout the game if you relax you are in trouble with them, they love the pace and they love the speed but I think we dealt well with this," added Parreira.
