Spain feel the pain

Bafana Bafana earned their most famous victory yet against European opposition by inflicting just the second defeat on world champions Spain this year, winning last night's international friendly 1-0.

Bernard Parker's 56th-minute strike stunned the No1-ranked team in the world. It was perhaps La Roja's biggest shock in international football this year.

Bafana's skill and running in some sporadic but confident and dynamic attacks at FNB Stadium matched the soft-passing Tiki Taka football of the somewhat flat, shell-shocked world and European champions.

Coach Gordon Igesund gave a rare start to Andile Jali next to Dean Furman in central midfield.

Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque started with seven of the XI who took the field in the 1-0 World Cup final victory against Holland on July 11, 2010 at this venue. That's Iker Casillas, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Sergio Ramos, Xabi Alonso, Pedro and David Villa.

But the running of Tokelo Rantie, combativeness of Furman and skill of Jali - before he went off injured just after the break - notably troubled the Spaniards. In their own area, Bafana put their bodies on the line to deny Spain.

Last night might have been a friendly, but it was a shock result that would have been noticed around the world.

Before it, Spain had lost once in 16 games this year - the 3-0 defeat to Brazil in the Confed Cup final - and won 12 times. You have to go back to November 2011 for their previous defeat, 1-0 against England at Wembley.

There were nervous moments for Bafana early on, though Spain appeared not quite to have brought their radar for beating offside, as they got it wrong on a few occasions in the first half.

An excellent moment of skill led to a breakout from Jali that restored momentum to SA. Soon after one of Rantie's runs was spoiled when the striker failed to pass to Daylon Claasen.

In the 18th minute Oupa Manyisa's shot took a big deflection and looped onto the crossbar. Another intricate move resulted in Parker being teed up to force a save from Casillas.

Alvaro Albaloa's cross saw Fernando Llorente sneak in ahead of Bongani Khumalo for a dangerously close header.

Before the break Khumalo's near-post header to Parker's corner hit the side-netting, bringing to a close a half where Bafana could justifiably have claimed to have matched La Roja.

Substitute Siphiwe Tshabalala, on for Claasen, slipped Rantie through two minutes into the second half but the Bournemouth striker blasting over.

Iniesta played Ignacio Monreal into the SA box and the left-back could not beat Itumeleng Khune.

In the 56th Bafana took the unlikeliest, though on balance of play, also not improbable, of leads.

Rantie's ball in from the left found Manyisa who opted for a snappy pass to Parker, whose shot looped in off Casillas despite Monreal's attempt to clear.

Rantie was through one-on-one in the 85th but could not beat reserve keeper Victor Valdes.