Africa's top-ranked side Algeria showed their class as they came back from a goal down to defeat South Africa 3-1 in their opening Group C clash at the African Nations Cup finals in Mongomo on Monday.
The South Africans will rue missed chances after having the better of the play for large parts of the match, but having gone a goal up through Thuso Phala, they then missed a second-half penalty that would have made the lead more comfortable.
That gave the Algerians a sniff and they ruthlessly took advantage, forcing an own goal from Bafana Bafana defender Thulani Hlatshwayo before Faouzi Ghoulam crashed home the second.
Islam Slimani made sure of the points after an error from South African goalkeeper Darren Keet.
It was tough on the South Africans, but they were the architects of their own downfall, having had enough chances to win the game.
Algeria and Senegal both sit on three points from their opening matches after the latter beat Ghana 2-1 earlier in the day.
South Africa had the better of the first half once they settled their nerves in the opening 15 minutes and would have taken a lead into the break were it not for the brilliance of Algerian goalkeeper Rais Mbolhi.
The experienced gloveman got his fingertips to a rasping drive from Dean Furman and pushed it onto the crossbar, before he saved smartly at the feet of Sibusiso Vilakazi as the reigning South African Footballer of the Year prepared to pull the trigger. Mbolhi then made a superb point-blank stop to deny Andile Jali after the Bafana midfielder was superbly teed-up by former Orlando Pirates teammate Oupa Manyisa.
The loss of teenage centre-back Rovaldo Coetzee forced a reshuffle at the back for Bafana, who replaced him with Siyabonga Nhlapho to leave them with four players more used to the fullback position making up their back line.
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The halftime whistle came as some relief on what was a humid and hot night as the teams went to the break at 0-0.
South Africa's opener on 51 minutes was all about the superb link-up play between Vilakazi, Rantie and goalscorer Phala.
Vilakazi played in Rantie, took the back-heel return and teed-up Phala to blast the ball home from just outside the six-yard box.
And it should have been 2-0 just two minutes later when another quick South African break saw Vilakazi felled in the box by Aissa Mandi, who was fortunate to only receive a yellow card and not a red.
Rantie was a curious choice as penalty-taker with more accomplished spot-kick merchants such as Jali and Manyisa around, and so it proved as he blasted the ball onto the crossbar. That would prove costly as Algeria began to ratchet up the pressure.
Bafana goalkeeper Darren Keet made a superb double-save to deny Islam Slimani.
But the pressure finally paid off when a long ball into the box from Yacine Brahimi was headed over his own goalkeeper by Hlatshwayo to bring the Algerians level. And the north Africans were ahead on 72 minutes as Ghoulam crashed the ball past Keet, who might have done better with the shot.
He definitely should have stopped the third goal from Slimani, which slipped under his body and into the net, ending South Africa's hopes in a match that promised much early in the second half.
