Former Bafana Bafana coach Jomo Sono has identified what Hugo Broos charges did wrong against Mali yesterday.
South Africa's drop in performance saw them lose their Group E opener 2-0.
To put themselves in a better position to qualify for the knockout stages they will need to get maximum points against neighbors in Namibia.
READ | Broos weighs in on Bafana's penalty drama
On Tuesday Bafana squandered a a lot of scoring opportunities, with striker Percy Tau failing to convert from the spot kick after Evidence Makgopa was fouled inside the box.
"We should have won, in the first half we played very, very well," Sono tells KickOff.
"We should have finished the game first half. Going forward South Africa if they can play the way they did in the first half, they will beat Namibia.
"The most difficult game for me is going to be Tunisia because they are more organized. They should have finished Mali, they should have taken their chances, they didn't take their chances," added the South African legend.
READ | Pitso: Where Broos got it wrong
"In football, if you don't take your chances you get punished, so Bafana were punished. It's not that Mali were better than us, no! In the first half, we were better than Mali. That set piece changed the complexion of the game and most of our players are playing local so they started panicking.
"Once Mali scored the first goal, South Africa started panicking.
"All they have to think about right now is the game against Namibia, and don't worry about not progressing further."