Former Bafana Bafana coach Palacios refuses to blame Sithole for Mexico defeat

The Portugal based midfielder was at fault for the opening goal after giving away possession to the Mexican side following a press deep in South Africa's half and was later red carded after fouling Brian Gutierrez in the 49th minute, with the Mexican through on goal.

Former coach Augusto Palacios has now come to the defence of the 27-year-old, insisting that individuals should not be singled out for the defeat to the co-hosts.

"It is common in football for a player to commit a foul; it is a red card, but he [Sphephelo Sithole] was attempting to clear the ball," said the 74-year-old Peruvian to KickOff.

"I understand that everyone is upset, but this is primarily because we lost the match, and people did not expect us to be defeated.

"Every player selected by Hugo Broos is regarded as a quality athlete. We must not single out Sithole for mistakes. He was involved in building from the back, lost possession, and Mexico capitalized, resulting in a goal. He made an error."

Palacios urged the African country to put their focus back on the mission of progressing to the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup for the first time in their history.

"We should instead focus on our upcoming match against the Czech Republic. It is crucial that we secure a victory in this game and observe the outcome of the match between South Korea and Mexico."