Group C | Cup Highlights |  Results | Roster | Road to France | Facts and Figures

Penalty Kicks End South Africa's Slim Hopes
Needing to beat Saudi Arabia by a wide margin June 24 to advance to the next round, South Africa could not hold off their opponent, tying, 2-2. Shaun Bartlett scored two goals but it was not enough, as Sami Jaber and Youssef Thyniyan converted penalty kicks for Saudi Arabia.

(Grigory Dukor/Reuters)

S. Africa Outclassed in Opener
Substitute Christophe Dugarry (pictured, left) treated a wildly cheering crowd in Marseille to a goal as France opened its World Cup finals on Friday with a 3-0 victory over South Africa. The victory allowed France to keep pace in Group C with Denmark, which beat Saudi Arabia 1-0 earlier Friday. South Africa, making its World Cup debut after being reinstated by FIFA just six years ago, was thoroughly outclassed by France and created few quality chances.

From The Post

JUNE 13: South Africa Outclassed in Opener
WILLIAM GILDEA: 'The Boys' of South Africa Face a Man-Sized Job
JUNE 18: Ref Is Wild in This Game of Cards

From AP

JUNE 24: South Africans Thwarted by Penalty Kicks
More AP Stories

World Cup Highlights

First participation in World Cup finals
Winners of African Nations Cup in 1996
Winners of Four Nations Cup in 1995 and 1996

First-Round Results

Day Opponent Site Friday, June 12 France 3, South Africa 0 Marseille Thursday, June 18 Denmark 1, South Africa 1 Toulouse Wednesday, June 24 S. Arabia 2, South Africa 2 Bordeaux

Complete First-Round Results

Roster

Pos. Name Age Club GK Andre Arendse 30 Fulham GK Hans Vonk 28 Heerenveen GK Brian Baloyi 24 Kaizer Chiefs D Themba Mnguni 24 Mamelodi Sundowns D Lucas Radebe 29 Leeds United D Willem Jackson 26 Orlando Pirates D Pierre Issa 22 Olympique Marseille D Mark Fish 24 Bolton Wanderers D Lebogang Morula 30 Vanspor M David Nyathi 29 St Gallen M Quinton Fortune 20 Atletico Madrid M John Moshoeu 32 Fenerbahce M Helman Mkhalele 28 Kayserispor M Doctor Khumalo 30 Kaizer Chiefs M Delron Buckley 20 VfL Bochum M Philemon Masinga 28 Bari M Alfred Phiri 23 Vanspor M Naughty Mokoena 23 Manning Rangers M Brendan Augustine 26 LASK Linz F Benedict McCarthy 20 Ajax Amsterdam F Shaun Bartlett 24 Cape Town Spurs F Jerry Sikhosana 28 Orlando Pirates

Road to France

Won Lost Tied GF GA 6 1 1 11 3 How Qualified: First place in CAF Group 3

Date Result CAF Final Round — Group 3 Aug. 17, 1997 South Africa 1, Congo 0 June 8, 1997 South Africa 3, Zambia 0 Apr. 27, 1997 Zaire 1, South Africa 2 Apr. 6, 1997 Congo 2, South Africa 0 Jan. 11, 1997 Zambia 0, South Africa 0 Nov. 9, 1996 South Africa 1, Zaire 0 CAF First Round June 15, 1996 South Africa 3, Malawi 0 June 1, 1996 Malawi 0, South Africa 1

Facts and Figures

Knight-Ridder/Tribune
Location: Southern Africa, at the extreme southern tip of the continent of Africa
Population: 45.1 million (1995 estimate)
Capital: Pretoria (administrative); Cape Town (legislative); Bloemfontein (judicial)
Comparative area: Slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Religions: Christian (most whites and Coloreds and about 60 percent of blacks), Hindu (60 percent of Indians), Muslim 2 percent
Landscape: High, sweeping plateaus, towering mountains, deep valleys; beaches line long, fertile coast